


All that's left behind

by RowanSilverwolf



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who & Related Fandoms, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Adventure, Alternate Universe, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Reunions, Romance, Sex, Suspense
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-27
Updated: 2016-12-22
Packaged: 2018-08-11 08:16:37
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 37,141
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7883599
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RowanSilverwolf/pseuds/RowanSilverwolf
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Jack Harkness, I've got a bone to pick with you". The Doctor has an unexpected reunion while paying Jack a visit.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hi, just wanted to take a minute to explain where this varies from. For the Doctor it is a little after "Family of Blood", I had Martha leave him after that episode. For Jack it is at the end of "End of Days" after he hears the TARDIS and disappears from the Hub. I hope that makes sense.

Chapter One

 

Jack heard a familiar whooshing sound and a sonic boom and smiled to himself.

"I've got a bone to pick with you Jack Harkness!" a very unfamiliar voice boomed.

Spinning round Jack looked for the owner and what he saw confused him. He knew he was on the TARDIS, no other place could look like this but the man in front of him, glaring at him, arms folded across his chest, wasn't the Doctor.

"You opened the rift! How many times did we tell Rose how dangerous the rift was? And you go and open it! You don't think I've got enough to deal with in this universe without people from all points in history flooding through bringing every illness known to mankind? I may be called the Doctor and I know my fair share of medicine but this is pushing the boundaries a little bit far don't you think? You are not the only planet in the galaxy and not the only galaxy in the universe."

Jack stood dumbfound.

"Well?..."

Jack continued to stare.

"What?!" the Doctor demanded.

"Who are you? And what have you done with Doc and Rose."

"Ok firstly don't call me Doc, makes it sound like I should be in an old western or something and second, I am the Doctor." He grinned broadly.

"You can't be. The Doctor is a northern guy, leather jacket, big ears, nose to match."

"Hey! My ears were not that big." The Doctor reached up to touch his own ears pouting ever so slightly. Jack regarded him for a moment.

"Ok, well if you're the Doctor where's Rose?" The man's face age before his eyes.

"She's gone." The Doctor told him, stuffing his hands in his pockets.

The former time agent was taken aback by the sadness in this man's eyes. "You're really the Doctor?"

"I regenerated. Got a pretty good deal I think." The Doctor flashed Jack a grin, glad of the change of subject. He knew Jack would ask more questions about Rose and he would deal with them when it happened. "So you closed the rift?"

"Uh, yeah I think so." Jack frowned, thrown by constant change of subject.

"You think so? Any stragglers left behind?"

"I don't know." Jack told him sheepishly.

"What have you been doing for the last three days?"

"I've been dead. What did you want me to do? It kinda takes a while to wake up when you've been shot in the head five times!" Jack was almost shouting, his confusion making his mind reel.

"Woah, woah, woah. Hang on. You were dead?" The Doctor's brow furrowed.

"Yeah and now I'm not. The world is full of surprises today ain't it?!"

"Ok you need to start from the beginning." With that The Doctor turned and headed out of the control room leaving Jack stood feeling like a lemon. "Are you coming Captain?"

Jack jogged after him finding him in the kitchen.

"Tea, coffee, lemonade. You name it we got it."

"Didn't have you down as a girly drinker." Jack commented opening the fridge and holding up an alcopop.

"That's Ro….that's not mine." He turned back to the counter and poured himself some tea. "Right, start at the beginning. And when I say beginning I mean opening the rift."

XxXxX

"I can't believe you let him shoot you in the head." The Doctor chuckled.

"It's not funny and I didn't let him. So any theories?"

"On what?"

"The fact I can't die. Believe me I've tried doing it right myself but it's like I'm in 'Groundhog day' or something except the day is always different." Jack raked his fingers through his hair.

"That's easy. You were killed by Dalek's the Time vortex undid it. You were technically brought back to life by….the vortex. So the residual energy of the vortex keeps bringing you back to life. Don't count on it always working though, eventually that energy will wear out and there will be no bringing you back again."

"Ok, but how?"

"What do you mean how? I just told you."

"So why does it feel like I've only got half the story?"

"No idea." The Doctor raised his cup to his lips, draining the rest of his tea before getting to his feet. It had taken the Doctor months to get used to the fact Rose was gone and having Jack here was stirring it all up again. It was his own fault, he knew that. He'd brought Jack here. Still once they had made sure everything was under control he'd be able to leave Jack at Torchwood and it would be over.

"So what happened with Rose?" Jack asked falling into step beside the Doctor as they walked the corridors.

"I sent her home. Out of harms way." There was no flicker of emotion across his face.

 "And you didn't go back for her when it was all safe?"

"Nothing is safe in this world. Even I died. It was better for her to stay behind."

"You seem to make a habit of leaving people behind." Jack told him.

"So I do," The Doctor said, not bothering to put him straight. He wasn't telling a complete lie. He had sent her away and he hadn't brought her back, she'd come back by herself. The less the Jack knew the better.

XxXxX

Jack knew the Doctor was hiding something. He found Rose's room and went inside. He smiled at the state of it, typical teenager, clothes and all over the place, just as it was the last time he saw it. He saw one wall was covered in photos. Peering closer he saw lots of the three of them, her, Jack and the old Doctor but noticed most of them were of her and the Doctor. The new Doctor. He'd been lied to again. The Doctor hadn't left her behind. He's gone back for her. The pair looked happy as if they were always laughing and Jack smiled. The Doctor looked younger in the photos so Jack figured she must've been gone for quite a while until he saw the date stamp on the bottom of one. It had only been taken six months ago. Of course having a time machine it could have been years but Jack was sure there was something else going on and he was determined to find out what. He missed Rose.

"What are you doing in here?" The Doctor's voice came from behind him.

"Just looking."

"Out." The Doctor pointed to the door. "We don't need to be in here."

"You're the boss. One question though; if you left her behind why all the photo's of this you?" Jack pushed passed him and retreated to the control room. He expected the Doctor to follow arguing; telling him off for snooping but after a good half hour the Doctor was no where in sight. "Ok girl," he whispered to the machine. "There's a lot of catching up I need to do and the Doc isn't really forthcoming with info. But right now there's just one thing playing on my mind and I'm sure you can help me with this. What happened to Rose?"

The monitor flickered into life. Jack watched the Doctor sidle out of the TARDIS doors leaving Rose and another older woman behind. A few moments later the door opened and the Doctor's arm snaked in and dragged the older woman out leaving Rose behind. She pottered around at the control panel then slipped out through the doors. The video jumped and the Doctor entered through the front doors and lent over the control panel. Suddenly Jack wasn't sure he wanted to see any more. He watched as the Doctor carried on in what seemed like the normal fashion but his actions became more erratic, flicking levers and switches, kicking the control panel until he seemed to lose the ability to stand and just sunk to the floor. It was then that he saw how distressed the Doctor was and it brought tears to his eyes.

"Ok, I get it he didn't hurt her. But what happened?"

The monitor flickered again and the scene changed to a white room, Rose was talking to the older woman. Two hands came into view placing a chain over Rose's head. Jack realised he was seeing things through the Doctor's eyes. Rose turned to look at him and vanished in an instant. I sent her home. Out of harms way. The Doctor hadn't lied to him, well not completely. Seconds later she was back in the room and the Doctor grabbed her by the arms telling her off.

" _Once that breach collapses, that's it. You will never be able to see her again. Your own mother!" He was almost shouting at her, trying to make her see sense._

_"I made my choice a long time ago and I'm never gonna leave you."_

_He stared at her for a moment before releasing his grip._

_"So what can I do to help?" She was staring at him stubbornly waiting._

_"Those co-ordinates over there; set them all at six. And hurry up."_

Jack winced at the tone of the Doctor's voice.

_"We've got Cybermen on the way up."_

_"How many floors down?"_

_"Just one._ "

Suddenly it all made sense. Jack knew what this was. He knew Cybermen; this was the end of Torchwood in London. He leant forward, watching intently. The Doctor began tapping furiously at the computer entering the last command and the levers finally became operational.

" _That's more like it, bit of a smile! The old team!" Rose cheered._

_He grabbed the magnaclamp and crossed to her. "Hope and Glory, Mutt and Jeff, Shiver and Shake!"_

_"Which one's Shiver?"_

_"Oh I'm Shake!" he told her handing her a clamp._

A smile touched Jack's lips, so much enthusiasm and hope in both their voices.

_Rose followed the Doctor's lead by holding it up against the wall._

_"Press the red button. When it starts, just hold on tight. It shouldn't be too bad for us but the Daleks and the Cybermen are steeped in void stuff. Are you ready?"_

_They pushed the levers up then grabbed hold of the clamps struggling to stay on the ground as the void opened._

_"The breach is open. Into the void! Ha!"_

_But something went wrong, there was a small explosion and the lever on Rose's side shifted back to the 'off' position. Jack watched in horror as she let go to set the lever right, he knew what was coming. Rose struggled to reach it before managing to get it back into the 'on' position. Only problem was she only had the lever to hold on to._

_"Rose, hold on!" the Doctor shouted in desperation. "Hold on!" his voice turning into a scream._

Jack wasn't sure he could watch.

_It was in slow motion as Rose lost her grip on the lever and got sucked towards the void. "ROSE!" the Doctor screamed again. Suddenly a man appeared grabbing her. Rose managed a quick glance over her shoulder at him then disappeared and the room fell quiet except for the wind. He stared at the spot where they had been until the void closed. The wind died down and the room fell completely silent._

Jack watched as the Doctor walked up to the wall and laid his palm against it and rested his head there. Jack felt his stomach sink. Rose came back to the Doctor even after he'd sent her away, willing to leave her mother behind to never see her again only for them to lose each other anyway.

"Oh, Doc." Jack sighed rubbing a hand over his face.

"Seen enough?"

Jack jumped at the Doctor's voice "Why do you keep sneaking up on me?"

The Doctor grinned but Jack didn't quite trust the sincerity of it. "Because you're so nosey." He replied tapping away on the keyboard. The images disappeared from the monitor; all that was left now were a series of shapes that seemed to make no sense at all. "Looks like our visitors are back in their own times."

"I'm sorry. But I cared about Rose too. I just wanted to know what happened to her."

"Well now you know." The TARDIS beeped and whirred at him. "Yes yes I know." The Doctor sighed and lifted a panel in the floor. He fished in his pocket for his glasses and putting them on threw his jacket over the rail. Holding his screwdriver between his teeth he hopped down underneath the TARDIS.

Jack watched him for a while, muttering as the TARDIS sparked and flashed. He was taller than the last Doctor, slimmer too. He still had that steely look when he didn't like something, this time though it was even darker and it unnerved Jack a little and excited him too. This Doctor was even fierier than the last but it hid beneath the surface ready to explode at any moment. Having him around would make things very interesting.

"You know you really did a number under here. Ever since you left she's been a nightmare!" The Doctor's voice filtered through his thoughts.

Jack remained silent, sitting himself on the edge of the pit. "Listen," he said finally. "I'm sorry. I know how much she meant to you."

"It's not like it did any serious damage, just a little uncomfortable at times."

"I was talking about Rose."

"So was I." The Doctor poked his head out to look at Jack.

"Hurts huh?" He watched the Time Lord's shoulders sag.

"More than you know."

"Wana talk about it?"

"Not really."

"Is that the kind of 'not really' where I get up to leave and you start rambling or the kind where you really don't want to?"

The Doctor sighed and thought for a moment then nodded his head. "Really don't want too!" He grinned.

"So how'd you die? You know my story, what's yours?"

"The game station. I sent Rose home in the TARDIS, away from the Daleks but you know Rose, has to do things her own way. Some how she managed to open the heart of the TARDIS and it brought her back." He hissed as a spark burnt his fingers. "Rose absorbed the time vortex and used it against the Daleks."

"And brought me back to life." Jack nodded.

"Yeah. Only problem was that the vortex was killing her. You can't have the entire knowledge of time and space in one person's brain, especially not a human one. So I absorbed it from her…"

"Your first kiss." Jack said hearing the Doctor bash his head in shock under the control panel.

"How do you know that?" He asked coming out from his hiding place, rubbing the sore spot.

Jack nodded at the monitor; the TARDIS was playing the scene out.

"Will you stop doing that?! Can't do a damn thing without this machine taking the memories from your head and storing them. I hope no one ever decides to blackmail me 'cause this ship could be my downfall."

Jack chuckled. "She's just trying to help."

"Being nosey is not helping." He moaned ducking back out of sight.

"You mean you never watch them? Like a home video?"

"Nope. Don't need to, it's all still in my head. I don't need to see it all played out."

"Not even the fun times?" Jack heard the sonic screwdriver stop.

"Is this not talking about it?"

"Alright, alright. I'm just curious. I only just got to know the old you and now there's a new you."

"I'm still the same man Jack."

"But that's just it. You are but you're not. From what I've….seen you still put yourself in harms way to save the universe and I'll bet when you're excited your still giddy as a school boy but you're so different and I don't mean in the way you look or dress but just the way you are."

"Are you chatting me up Jack?" He could hear the laughter in the Doctor's voice.

"See there; right there. That is new you, the old you would've changed the subject and fast if he was on his own with me, not challenge me."

"Not necessarily. People change over time. Normal, everyday people. Not just aliens. How do you know the company I keep has nothing to do with it?"

"What company? You're on your own as far as I can see."

"Well I am now."

"Oh, you had another friend after Rose?"

"Depends on what you call a friend. Let's see there was Donna. Thick as twenty short planks but her heart was in the right place. She stuck around for an entire day. Mind you she was meant to be getting married when the TARDIS kidnapped her. Completely unintentional, I'll have you know. You know, she was so hungover one Christmas she didn't even know there was an alien invasion?! And then there was Martha."

"Martha?"

"You would've liked her, liked a good fight. Full of life."

"But?"

"But nothing. She wanted to go back to medical school so she left."

"So. How close were you to Martha?"

"She was a friend."

"Like Rose?"

"I didn't let her stay to replace Rose. No one can replace Rose."

Jack heard the hint of anger in the Doctor's voice. "Ok, ok. Just asking. You can still be just as grumpy as your old self."

"Sorry." Came a quiet response. "Here take a look at this." The Doctor held out a piece from the underside of the TARDIS.

"Not pretty, any ideas how to fix it?"

"Plenty but as you did it I think that's your department." The Doctor reappeared in the pit rubbing his hands on a cloth.

"Oh I see. That's why you brought me here all along wasn't it, nothing to do with the rift. It's because you think I made a mess under there."

"Good thought. Completely wrong but good thought. No this is just an added bonus. She's been sparking like mad recently. Someone's going to get hurt."

"Ever thought that maybe she's just too old?" The Doctor raised his eyebrows at him.

"Brave words for a man inside the belly of the beast." A wicked smile tweaked his lips.

XxXxX

Jack sat under TARDIS' control panel singing away to himself while the Doctor scanned the rift over and over.

_'Well, I've roamed about this Earth With just a suitcase in my hand,_

_And I've met some bog-eyed Joe's,_

_I've met the blessed,_

_I've met the damned._

_But of all the strange, strange creatures_

_In the air, at sea, on land,_

_Oh, my girl, my girl, my precious girl,_

_I love you, you understand._

_So, reel me in, my precious girl,_

_Come on, take me home._

_'Cause my body's tired of travelling_

_And my heart don't wish to roam.'_

The Doctor froze, something about that song disturbed him. He shrugged it off and continued.

Jack watched the Doctor through the grated floor and tried not to smile, he knew he was making him uncomfortable and he had to admit he was enjoying it. He'd always enjoyed teasing the Doctor.

' _I have wandered, I have rambled_

_I have crossed this crowded sphere,_

_And I've seen a mass of problems_

_That I long to disappear._

_Now, all I have's this anguished heart,_

_For you have vanished too._

_Oh, my girl, my girl, my precious girl,_

_Just what is this man to do?'_

"Uh Jack?"

"Yeah, Doc?"

"Shut up." The Doctor peered at him over the top of his glasses.

"Fair enough. So what's with the change of accent?"

"Just part of the regeneration. Lucky dip. Why, does it bother you?" He continued fiddling at the keyboard.

"No, I like it, makes you sound even more intelligent."

"Thanks, I think."

"Was just wondering if it was a choice. Like the new clothes."

"Well, leather and black trousers wasn't really me. Well new me anyway."

"Well the glasses definitely suit you." Jack climbed out of the pit.

"Different face, different eyes…. Well different everything but the answer will always be the same Jack; not a hope." The Doctor looked at him again and raised a playful eyebrow.

"Shucks and there was me hoping with Rose out of the way I'd get a chance to do this." He grabbed the Doctor by the tie and pulled him so close their noses were touching.

"Ah, Jack. Don't you dare." The Doctor's voice suddenly stern, his adam's apple bobbing as he swallowed his discomfort.

Jack burst out laughing. "Gotcha." He said planting a quick kiss on the Doctor's forehead.

"I hope I'm not interrupting." A familiar voice came from the other side of the control panel. The men froze and stared at each other.

XxXxX


	2. Chapter 2

Jack's jaw dropped as he turned. "How….?"

"I have no idea. Through the rift I think." The girl grinned, her eyes shining.

Jack couldn't take it any more he ran picked her up and swung her round. "Boy is it good to see you Rose."

Faces full of laughter they turned to look at the Doctor. He was stood face drained of all colour slowly shaking his head.

"Doc? It's ok." Jack took hold of Rose's hand and they took a step towards him. The Doctor took a step back.

"No, no, no, no, no. I can't do this again." He turned and exited the control room leaving Rose and Jack stunned.

"I'll talk to him. He's probably just shocked." Jack squeezed her hand.

"Or maybe he just isn't pleased to see me?"

"Don't even think that. You know it's not true. Let me talk to him."

Rose nodded, tears brimming in her eyes.

"Go and calm down, your room is where you left it and from the looks of it the way you left it." He smiled at her warmly and left.

XxXxX  
Jack found the Doctor sitting in an arm chair in his room, his head in his hands, index fingers rubbing circles on his temples.

"What are you doing? The girl you love has just walked back in through the doors and you can't even say 'hello'?"

The Doctor pushed his glasses up onto the top of his head and looked up at the Time agent. "She's not meant to be here Jack. Don't you get it? She came through the rift which means I have to send her back."

"Why? If she doesn't want to why can't she stay here?"

"She doesn't belong here. This isn't her home anymore!"

"You're wrong. It's here that she does belong. This is her world, this is where she belongs and if she wants to be with you why fight it?" He planted his hands on his hips and dared him to argue.

"Because if she stays that rift might never close properly."

"Doc, that rift is never going to close properly whether she's here or there. That's why Torchwood sits on top of it to keep an eye on it."

"And opens it. I can't increase the strain on it. I can't risk it ripping the universe apart."

Jack watched the Doctor's eyes mist over. Sighing he moved to sit on the arm of the Doctor's chair. "Do you know for certain that she has to go back?"

"Anything that passed through that rift has to return to where it started."

"But it's already taken everything else back, why would it leave Rose?"

The Doctor clicked his tongue and shook his head. "I don't know." He rubbed his hands over his face.

"At least go and talk to her. She's really upset. She's probably been dreaming about this moment as much as you have I'll bet and I think I'm right in saying this isn't how either of you wanted it to happen."

"I don't know if I can."

Jack put his arm round the Doctor's shoulders. "You know you're cute when you're upset."

The Doctor scoffed and shook his head.

"That's it, go on, smile. Look, be bold – start with 'hello' and see where it takes you."

"No. I need to find out why she's here."

Jack sighed as the Doctor ran out of the room. He followed after a beat and almost ran into Rose.

"What's going on?" Rose asked.

Jack looked at her; her make-up was slightly smudged where she'd rubbed away tears.

"He needs to know how you're here." Taking her hand he led her to the control room.

XxXxX

They found the Doctor furiously typing away on the keyboard, glasses firmly on his nose, shirt sleeves rolled up and tie hanging loosely.

"Doctor?" Rose's voice was so soft he barely heard it. "Doctor say something, please?" She grabbed his arms and turned him to face her.

"Rose I need to do this." He refused to meet her eyes.

"Why? I don't understand."

"Because you're not meant to be here and I don't know that I can send you back." He twisted out of her grip and turned back to the monitor.

"Then don't."

"Rose I might not have a choice. If you came through that rift, not sending you back could destroy everything."

"But you just said you don't know that you can send me back."

"That's not what I meant." He muttered quietly.

"Doctor if you don't want me here then just say it."

The Doctor's hands froze as his head whipped round to look at her for the first time since she'd entered the TARDIS. She looked as beautiful as ever and his breath caught.

"No, never think that."

"Then why are you so intent on getting rid of me so quickly?" Tears glazed over her eyes and the Doctor's hearts broke all over again.

"Because if I let myself ….and it turns out you have to go…. I don't know that I can cope with losing you again."

A heavy silence descended on the TARDIS as Jack watched the pair stare at each other.

"Oh." Rose said finally and gave a small nod, taking a step back from him.

"This is going to take a while. There's a lot of energy to sift through. Why don't you find something to do?" He smiled at them tightly and left the control room.

Rose looked over at Jack, pain plain to see on her face.

"Rose, I don't know what happened between you two before Torchwood and I know I'm not him but I give great hugs." A sad smile touched his lips as he held his arms out and Rose folded herself into his embrace. "How long has it been since you last spoke?"

"Six months, give or take." She shrugged. "And the last thing he said was 'quite right too.'" Rose let out a little laugh.

"Oh? Funny last words."

"He didn't get to finish what he was going to say."

"What was he going to say?"

"No idea." Rose forced a smile as she pulled away. "So where have you been?"

"Here. Well underground but here. I work for Torchwood in a manner of speaking. What about you?"

"The same actually. Pete, my dad, runs Torchwood in London in the other world. I was in Cardiff checking out some weird readings from the rift when I ended up here."

"That's my girl. Getting stuck in! Can I ask you something? Promise you won't get mad?"

"You can ask." Rose began to circle the consol, running her hand over the metal as she went.

"What if you don't have to go back? What if you can't?"

"I made my choice.."

"A long time ago?" Jack finished for her "and let me guess, you're not leaving him." She looked at him questioningly. "The TARDIS has been filling me in." He nodded at the monitor. "Much to the Doctor's annoyance. Me and this ship are kindred spirits." He chuckled.

"How? How did she?"

"She showed me. I asked and she showed me." His voice trailed as he saw the look on her face. "Rose I really wouldn't. He didn't like it."

"I have to know. I have to know what he was going to say."

"Rose. Listen to me. You can't do this. I did and I shouldn't. They're his memories."

"Jack he tried to tell me something and I have to know what it is."

"Then ask him! If he still wants you to know he'll tell you."

But it was too late the TARDIS was already playing back the moments after the void closed. The Doctor pressed against the wall then slowly walking through the TARDIS doors. Jack had already seen it he didn't need to see the Doctor crumble again. "Stop it!" He commanded and the screen went blank.

Rose snapped her head round to look at him.

"What is it you really want to know?" Jack asked her softly.

"I…." Her voice failed her.

"Rose, it's plain as day you love him and you'd have to be a fool if you thought he felt anything other than the same. Go find him, make him talk to you."

"Why should I run after him?"

"Because you're not as stubborn as him. He's trying to protect himself and it's not hard to see why." His gazed flickered to the monitor. "Looks like the TARDIS agrees."

Looking round Rose saw the Doctor pacing in his room, raking his fingers through his hair. She flinched when he picked something up from his desk and launched it across his room; he then sat heavily on the steps at the foot of his bed and pulled the throw over his head. 

"Go to him." Jack whispered in her ear.

XxXxX

Rose stood at The Doctor's door. She'd never been in his room before; he rarely seemed to use it when she was around. Taking a deep breath she stepped inside and held back a cry as she saw the crumpled throw hiding every inch of the Doctor. She quietly walked over to him and sat on the step next to the bundle.

"Doctor? If I have to leave I don't want it to be this way. And I can't talk to you when you're hiding under a blanket." Tentatively she reached up and began to pull it away. "Hey this is mine." She pointed out finally revealing his face. His eyes were red, dark shadows marred their usual brightness and when she took his hands she was shocked to find they were cold as ice. "Come on; let's get off this cold floor." Pulling him to his feet she encouraged him to sit on the end of his bed.

"I don't know what to say." He said finally, his voice shaking.

"How 'bout 'hello'?"

He looked up at her and his face tightened, muscles twitching finding it hard to contain his emotion. "Hello." He almost laughed when he was rewarded with one of her smiles.

They sat and gazed at each other for a while, still not quite believing either of them was really there.

"I've missed you." He croaked.

"Quite right too." She smiled again and went to place her hand on his cheek but he stopped her.

"How's your mother?"

"She's fine." She laughed "and Mickey and Pete and the baby. They're all fine, keeping the airspace safe."

The Doctor nodded and clicked his tongue trying to get it to work.

"I've missed you too. Doctor I don't want to go back."

"Rose…"

"Nothing's changed. I still would give up everything to stay with you and I know it's not your decision whether I get to stay in this universe or not but if I do have to go I wanted you to know that."

He sighed and suddenly gathered her into his arms. Rose gripped him as tightly as she could and choked back a cry, causing her whole body to shake.

"Don't cry, please don't. You'll set me off." He kissed the top of her head.

"I'm sorry." She sniffed pulling back. "I just never thought I'd see you again and then suddenly you're …"

"I know."

"…and I'm…"

"I know."

Rose looked up at him. He looked older than he had when she last saw him. Reaching up she traced her thumb over the crinkles round his eyes and he fingers played with the hair behind his ear. "How long has it been since the beach?"

He cleared his throat. "About two years. You?"

"Six months. And I've hated every second." She watched his eyes brim with tears that matched her own and she couldn't hold back anymore. The tears fell and a sob escaped her lips.

The Doctor pulled her tight against him and rocked her. Feeling her tremble he grabbed the throw he'd been hiding under and draped it round them all the while trying to calm her, whispering in her ear.

Pretty soon her sobs subsided as she began to fall asleep on his shoulder. He twisted himself slightly and lay back on the bed, taking Rose with him.

XxXxX

Jack peered round the door of the Doctor's bedroom and found the pair fast asleep. He smiled as he crept towards the giant four-poster bed. The Doctor's brow was furrowed even in sleep, his arms wrapped tightly round Rose who was almost lying on top of him. One of her hands was lying on his chest, the tips of her fingers disappearing into the gap between the buttons of his shirt, her face buried in the crook of his neck, legs entangled with his.

Jack hated the idea of waking either of them but the TARDIS was beeping for attention. He knelt down at the end of the bed and leant towards the Doctor whispering his name.

The Doctor's eyes snapped open.

"Sorry, Doc but the TARDIS wants attention."

The Doctor raised his finger to his lips and nodded. "Don't suppose you could lend me a hand?" He whispered, trying to extract himself from Rose's grasp.

"Sure thing."

XxXxX

"How longs she been beeping?"

"About ten minutes. I would've left you longer but I can't understand what's on the screen."

The Doctor rubbed the sleep from his eyes and pulled his glasses out of his trouser pocket. "You won't, it's Gallefreyan."

"I still can't believe those shapes actually make sense to you."

"No different to reading Arabic or Greek."

"Well it's definitely Greek to me."

"So what does she say?" Rose's voice came from behind them.

"Don't know haven't got to that screen yet." The Doctor offered her a small smile.

"Anybody would think you were just stalling for time." Rose told him cheekily, hoping to make the Doctor's smile bigger. It didn't work.

The monitor flickered slightly and the screen scrolled. The Doctor smacked the side of it. "Behave."

"Does that normally work?" Jack asked unable to keep the amusement from his voice.

"Sometimes. Mallet works better." He responded. "Rose. Before….. There's something I need to tell you…"

"That's my cue." Jack said heading out of the control room.

The Doctor felt a slight sense of relief as the Time Agent disappeared from view. "I tried to tell you a long time ago, in fact I started to tell you…." A spark from the control panel made them both jump. "Now what in the world was that for? We're not even moving."

"Doctor?" Rose prompted him to continue.

He glanced back at the control panel with a frown then looked at Rose.

"Sorry." He leant heavily against the machine and suddenly went stiff. The lights in the TARDIS dipped and smoke began to appear behind the Doctor. Then without warning he let out an agonising scream.

"Doctor?!" Rose shouted. "Jack? Jack help!"

He was there an instant. "Rose, get back." Pushing her away from the panel he jumped into the pit and pointed the sonic screwdriver. There was another big spark and the Doctor stumbled forward, gasping for air. He collapsed hitting his head hard against a pillar.

XxXxX


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3  
Jack laid the Doctor down on his bed. "That's a pretty nasty burn." He said gently pulling the Doctor's sleeve away from his arm.  
Rose pressed her ear against the Doctor's chest. "His hearts are out of time."  
"I'm going to get some supplies. Keep talking to him, we don't know how bad the bang to his head was."  
Rose took a tissue from the Doctor's bedside table and dabbed at the trickle of blood that was rolling down his face. "You know Jack's right; your timing really could use some work. We're a bit of a mess at the moment aren't we? You always get to the middle of a sentence when you get cut off and I don't even know if I can stay with you. Still at least there are no Daleks or Cybermen around this time. Electrocuted by your own spaceship." She brushed his hair away from his forehead.  
"Right here we go." Jack stormed back into the room, arms full of jars and bandages. "Rose, I need you to hold him upright so I can get this shirt off."  
She nodded and held the Doctor to her as Jack ripped the shirt from his back.  
"Burn goes all the way up across his shoulders. He's not going to be a happy Doctor when he wakes up and feels this." He started applying some gel to the wounds.  
"How long do you think he's gona be out?"  
"No idea. A couple of hours if he's lucky."  
"Lucky?"  
"Yeah, it'll take a couple of hours for this to calm down the burns, they're still gona hurt like hell but nothing like as bad as they would do now if he could feel them. Tell me if he's getting too heavy."  
"No, he's fine." Rose said shifting the Doctor's weight a little. Jack smiled softly as she started to stroke her friend's hair.  
"Right. Let's wrap him up." Jack pulled out a strange kind of cloth and began wrapping it round the Doctor's shoulder slowly and gently working his way down to the Doctor's wrist.  
"What are we going to do about his hand?" Rose asked gently laying him back down.  
"That's what this is for." Jack told her, holding up a white glove.  
"Oh he's gona love that." Rose smiled weakly.  
"Hey, come on. He's gona be fine. He hasn't changed…"  
"Regenerated." She corrected.  
"Regenerated. And since when have you known a little thing like this get him down?"  
Rose smiled at him. "I'm glad you're here Jack."  
"You look as tired as him."  
"I've spent so much time sleeping in this big blue box that I can't sleep without the humming anymore."  
"Nothing to do with him then?"  
Rose smiled sheepishly.  
"So just how close did you two get?"  
"Not that close Jack Harkness! I'd never been in here 'til tonight."  
"You are kidding?!"  
"Nope."  
"You mean to tell me that this lump was the perfect gent?"  
"The entire time."  
"Didn't that drive you mad?"  
Rose blushed slightly. "Well not the entire time. There was Reinette. I'm pretty sure he wasn't much of a gent with her."  
"Reinette? I think you need to fill me in on some of your adventures?  
XxXxX  
"So what's he like now?" Jack asked.  
"You've met him."  
"Not for long and I get the feeling he wasn't really himself."  
"Dunno really. It's hard to explain. He's funny, sarcastic. He's got a gob on him that's for sure. He talks ten times faster than he ever did before. He likes to lick things these days too."  
Jack raised his eyebrows. "Sounds like fun." A wicked grin spread across his face.  
Rose ignored him. "Sometimes I look at him and he's so full of life it's infectious and other times I look at him and he scares the hell out of me." She shrugged and looked at the sleeping Doctor.  
"How?"  
"The look in his eye. There's something there that frightens me, I dunno why 'cause I know he'd never hurt me but there's just…."  
"Something bubbling beneath the surface that threatens to show?"  
"Oh it shows. You really don't wana upset him. He gets this stony look and his eyes go so dark they're almost black. He can silence people and aliens with that one look."  
Jack smiled to himself as he saw her eyes sparkle. "Kinda turns you on doesn't it?"  
"What?"  
"Come on, admit it. You find the dark side sexy."  
"So how come you're here anyway?" Rose changed the subject.  
Jack chuckled. "The Doc had a bone to pick. My staff opened the rift; contrary to my instruction I might add."  
"How'd they get past you?"  
"They shot me in the head." Jack folded his arms across his chest.  
Rose raised a disbelieving eyebrow.  
"What? They did!"  
"Right. And that's why you're sat here talking to me now."  
"Fine, don't believe me. I'll get the Doc to explain it to ya later. Listen I'm going to have a shower, shout if he wakes."  
Rose nodded and watched her friend retreat. She rolled her eyes and looked back at the Doctor.  
"Shot in the head. Really."  
"Five times. Apparently his head's thicker than we thought." A raspy voice replied.  
"Doctor?" She got up to chase after Jack but a cold hand stopped her.  
"Don't'" He whispered looking up at her sleepily.  
"How are you feeling?"  
"Easier questions please."  
"Does it hurt?"  
The Doctor nodded.  
"Do you remember what happened?"  
He shook his head.  
"Do you want me to tell you?"  
He shook his head again. "Not right now."  
Rose smiled as his eyes fluttered closed. "I'll get Jack."  
"Stay." He gripped her hand in his. He looked so small in his huge bed.  
She sat on the edge of his bed and stroked his hair with her free hand. "How long have you been awake?" She asked suddenly realising how her conversation with Jack must've sounded. No response came and as she listened to his breathing she knew he was asleep again.  
XxXxX  
When Jack re-entered the Doctor's bedroom Rose was asleep at a funny angle on the side of the Doctor's bed. He smiled and wrapped his towel round his shoulders then went to wake Rose.  
"Hey, why don't you go and get some sleep somewhere more comfortable."  
"He woke up." She informed him groggily.  
"That's good. But now he's asleep again so go get comfy. He's not going anywhere."  
Rose nodded and stood. Dropping a light kiss on the tip of the Doctor's nose she turned, gave Jack a hug and went to find her room.  
XxXxX  
The Doctor started to murmur in his sleep. Jack smiled murmuring was a good sign. His smile disappeared fairly quickly when the Doctor began to sound distressed.  
"Rose!" the Doctor called then yelled out in pain as he bolted upright.  
"Easy!" Jack told him. "Having a nightmare there Doc?" He guided the Time Lord to lay back down.  
"Where's Rose?" His voice little more than a rasp.  
"She's in her room getting some rest. As you should be."  
"I need to talk to her." The Doctor tried to get up and cried out again.  
"You didn't learn that hurt the first time? Calm down. Whatever you need to tell her can wait can't it? Does it have to be right now?" He was given a withering look. "You know talking isn't going to do you much good. Look at the damaged that electric shock did to the outside; imagine what it's done to your insides. Your breathing is laboured as it is!" The Doctor continued to glare. "Fine, but if she's asleep I'm not waking her. And lay on your good side, it'll hurt less." Jack grumbled heading for the door.  
"Jack? Thank you."  
"Doc, just tell me one thing, can she stay?"  
"Jack, please."  
"Ok ok." He sighed and left.  
XxXxX  
"Jack? Is everything ok?" Rose called out as she saw his silhouette in her doorway.  
"Did I wake you?" Jack smiled. She looked adorable in her pyjamas and mussed hair.  
"What's wrong?"  
"Nothing. It's the Doc, he uh, he wants to talk to you. Well desperate is more like it. I tried to get him to leave it a while, to sleep more but he won't."  
"It's ok. I can't sleep anyway. Why don't you get some fresh clothes and shut eye yourself? I'll stay with him and if he's asleep I swear I won't wake him."  
Jack smiled and nodded.  
XxXxX  
"Hello. You been causing Jack trouble?" Rose smiled kneeling down beside the Doctor's bed so she could look him in the eye.  
He offered her a tired smile. "Me? Trouble? Never?"  
"Well that's a lie for a start. Jack said you wanted to talk to me."  
He gingerly reached out with his bandaged hand across the bed and crooked his finger at her.  
She climbed onto the bed and stretched herself out in the empty space next to him.  
"I needed to know… What's with the glove?" he smiled lazily.  
"We thought you might like to do an impression of Michael Jackson. Play your cards right and we could go and do some actual moon walking, after all we have the means." Rose giggled. "Do you remember anything about the last few hours?"  
"Being an idiot." He whispered then coughed.  
"Sssh ok. Talking still hard work huh? Ok, so I'm with you on the idiot bit but I get why. You were working at the TARDIS and talking to me when she sparked, then suddenly…" Her voice faltered and she felt her eyes well up.  
The Doctor opened his arms as best he could and Rose snuggled against him, being careful not to hurt him.  
"We're ok." He felt her nod and press her face into his neck. "I need to tell you something."  
Rose moved to look up at him but he held her head firmly against him. She could hear his hearts racing.  
"It's ok. Wait until you're better." She hushed but she felt him shake his head.  
"I tried to tell you before" he whispered "and again earlier. So before anything else goes wrong…" She felt him swallow hard and take a deep breath causing him to cough again and gasp for air. Rose pulled away from him and grabbed a glass of water from the side table and held it to his lips.  
"Calm down, I'm not going anywhere yet." She placed the glass back on the table and lay down facing him. His chest was still heaving and his eyes were watering but he was looking straight at her.  
He leant forward, pressed his lips against hers and held his breath, his hearts pounding harder than ever before. Relief came when Rose returned the kiss, her lips parting under his. She wanted to cling to him but was mindful that he was hurt so instead she ran her fingers through his hair earning herself a tortured moan from the Doctor. He wanted to be able to hold her tightly, to pull her to him but he didn't have the strength and he knew that it would be incredibly painful but he wouldn't care if it wasn't for the fact she might pull away.  
Rose eventually pulled back panting and watched the Doctor gasp for air with a little smile on his face.  
"That probably didn't do you much good." She told him breathlessly before kissing his eyelids.  
"Don't care." He gasped, trying to get his breathing under control. "Rose Tyler I," He was cut off by a beeping and he shook his head. "They're out to get me. To hell with it…"  
"Doctor? The results are in." Jack appeared in the doorway and they were brought back to earth with a bump. "Hey how come I didn't get that kind of welcome?" He complained noticing how intimate they looked  
"You're not that pretty."  
"Well that's hardly fair! You ok? You sound worse than when I left."  
"Too much talk." The Doctor told him his eyes never leaving Rose's face. "That t.v on the wall, switch it on."  
Jack did as he was asked. "Oh look, Eastenders!" Jack remarked. "How hasn't that been cancelled yet? The stories never change just the people."  
"I need my screwdriver." Rose held it to him and he twisted the top a little. "Point and press." He told her with an uneasy smile as his eyes focussed on the screen.  
The picture flickered and refocused to show the same thing the TARDIS monitor was at the control panel.  
"How you understand any of that is beyond me." Jack scratched the back of his head.  
Rose watched the Doctor's face for any betrayal of what he was seeing and understanding as he read the screen.  
"Ok I've seen enough." He said closing his eyes against the glare of the screen.  
"I'm guessing by the tone it's not good news." Jack switched off the t.v and sat on the bed next to Rose and the Doctor.  
"Depends on who you are." He opened his eyes to look at his companions. "Rose's presence isn't affecting the universe itself because she doesn't exist. Nothing's going to implode but ….." He took a few deep breaths trying to fill his lungs "but I have no way of sending you back other than opening the rift."  
"Which we can't do." Jack stated.  
"Right. Rose I'm sorry. You're stuck here. There's just no way of getting you back to your family. I don't even know if we can let them know you're ok."  
"I told you before. I want to stay with you."  
"But you had the chance to say goodbye last time."  
Rose chewed her lip, holding back tears she didn't want to shed in front of either of them. She wanted to stay with him so desperately she'd never even thought about her family being worried about her or knowing that she was ok.  
"Never say never." Jack suddenly piped up heading for the door. "Oh and I think I fixed the short circuiting problem."  
"What short circuiting problem?"  
"Oh boy, that bang to his head did more damage than we thought. I'll let you explain that one Rose, just try to make him believe it wasn't entirely my fault!" Jack ducked out the door quickly before the Doctor could say anything else.  
"I don't want to know." He sighed. "As long as he fixes it."  
Rose giggled then sniffed, causing the Doctor to look up at her. He could see her eyes glistening. "I'm sorry." He whispered.  
She shook her head and shrugged. "This is where I'd be if I hadn't lost my grip." She could see he was struggling to focus on her. "I'll leave. Let you sleep."  
"Don't go."  
"I'm only going to be down the hall, I'm not going to disappear." But she lay back down on the bed next to him anyway. "I think Jack's jealous. He's still got a thing for you."  
"He has a thing for everyone and everything. I was trying to tell you something." His brow furrowed as his tired brain tried to recall the information. "Did I tell you I love you too?"  
Rose's eyes widened. She'd always hoped that was true but she never thought he'd say it.  
"No you didn't." A smile split her face.  
"I've missed that smile." He smiled wearily back. "I might not remember any of this when I wake up, my head feels huge and fuzzy so I might repeat things or need to be told things again."  
"That's called concussion."  
"I don't like it." His speech was becoming more slurred with every sentence as his brain lost the fight against sleep.  
Rose leant in and kissed him lightly. "Sleep" she whispered.  
The Doctor gave a moan that she thought was meant to be an actual response and she smiled when his injured arm gently pulled her close as he drifted off.  
XxXxX


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Smut bunny warning... they bit, I responded... you have been warned

"Rose?" the Doctor moaned sleepily, opening his eyes he was pleased to find her spooned with her back against his chest. She was really here! He was almost afraid to blink incase she disappeared then reality hit him.  
“Rose?”

"Mmmm?"

"My arm is falling asleep."

"What? Oh! Sorry." She made to get up but he tightened his grip on her with his uninjured arm and pulled them back so she was half lying on top of him. "Don't be silly you're gona hurt yourself!"

"Nope, I'm fine." He repositioned his arm and smiled as the blood flow returned to normal.

"How is your other arm?"

"Sore." He told her simply and pressed a light kiss against the back of her neck. After clenching his fist a few times he curled his arm back round Rose's middle and got a little thrill when his fingers connected with bare skin on her tummy.

Rose placed her own hand over his and sighed as his fingers absently began tracing tiny circles on her skin. She shivered slightly and pulled his duvet up to her chest.

He felt her shift against him and realised this could quickly become very inappropriate and part of him didn't care. He couldn't think of a real reason why he should. She wasn't going anywhere soon. It was then that he realised just how low slung her pyjama bottoms were, another couple of inches….. he clenched his jaw at the thought praying Rose hadn't noticed.

She twisted her body so she could kiss him without losing his touch. The kiss was more forceful than it had been last night and her hand had slipped behind her and was heading south.

"Rose." He moaned. "Stop it, please."

"You don't want to?"

He chuckled lightly and rested his head on her shoulder. "Oh no I really do." He whispered. "But I just don't have the strength to see it through."

"Oh. I'm sorry I didn't think."

"Doesn't mean I can't have other kinds of fun though."   
His voice was still croaky and sounded incredibly sexy as his un-burnt fingers dipped below her waist band. He felt her breath catch as he continued to move lower, all the while drawing circles.

She gasped softly as his fingers found her and she pressed herself closer, moving up the bed slightly so he didn't have to reach so far. She heard the Doctor sigh as he stroked her, feeling how warm she was, sure she had been for a while now. 

He wrapped his legs round hers, holding her against him but giving his hand room to manoeuvre. The Doctor felt her buck against him slightly and pressed kisses between her shoulder blades. Feeling bolder Rose grasped his hand and pushed it further underneath her and guided his fingers into her while his thumb continued to play. She tensed slightly at the thrill that shot through her. She'd dreamt about this for so long. Scrabbling to grasp the top of her trousers she pushed them down as far as she could. She desperately wanted to touch him, her head was clouding and her muscles started to spasm around his fingers.

She pushed his hand harder and deeper and felt him curve inside her. He was rewarded with another gasp and they increased the speed, her hand pumping his until her whole body started to go rigid. It was then he realised if she cried out Jack might hear which could create an awkward moment. Watching her he braced himself ready to drown out her cry with one of his own.

XxXxX

Jack heard the Doctor cry out and pelted down the corridor bursting through the bedroom door.

"What's going on?" He looked from the Doctor to Rose.

"I rolled the wrong way." The Doctor croaked.

"Geez! Rose you ok?" He asked, noticing her breathing heavily.

"Yeah. He startled me." She smiled, rolling her eyes.

"Right." He looked between the two. "Ok. Well it's only just gone four a.m so I'm gona go back to bed now. Try sleeping on your front." Jack backed out the door with distinct feeling he'd just been lied to but didn't really care. Right now he just wanted sleep.

Rose looked at the Doctor and giggled as he closed his eyes. "You just lied to him."

"Yup."

"And what you just did was incredibly naughty."

"Complaints?"

"Only that I couldn't touch you." She shuffled towards him and nipped his bottom lip.

"Mmm."

"Tired?"

"Always."

"So where did that burst of energy come from?"

"You did most of the work." The Doctor shivered.

"You ok?"

He nodded. "Cold."

Rose grabbed the blanket from the end of his bed and laid it over him and snuggled down.

XxXxX

The Doctor woke to find Rose sleeping beside him and he smiled. Gingerly he slid off the bed and struggled to the door, attempting to pull on his dressing gown one handed. He leant against the walls for support and practically dragged himself to the control room and was surprised to find Jack tinkering.

"Thought you were sleeping."

Jack looked up at the now familiar rasp of the Doctor. "Well you definitely should be!"

"Can't. Need to find a way for Rose to talk to her family." He pulled himself over to the control panel and flopped in the captain's chair.

"You are in no fit state to do anything. Now I will pick you up and carry you back there if I have to!"

"Ooo get you." He chuckled then coughed.

"Serves you right." Jack regarded the Doctor for a moment. "You're just gona keep getting up aren't you?"

The Doctor nodded rubbing his chest.

"Fine. Just sit there and do nothing."

The men looked at each other for a moment then started to laugh causing the Doctor another coughing fit.

"Yeah, like you're ever going to do nothing. I see your point. So what's the plan?"

"Use the rift. Create a video link with Rose's Torchwood."

"And how do we do that?"

"I've done something similar before. Just needs a little tweak here and there."

"And it won't tear open the rift?"

"Nah. Well, nah. We just need a tiny pin prick in the scar. What we're sending through is far too small to make enough difference."

"Well what are we waiting for?"

"TARDIS needs a couple more hours charge to have enough power to force the message through and we need an I.P address."

"Right, so anything we can do until then?"

"Tweak."

XxXxX

"Rose was telling me about some of your adventures. You got about a bit by all accounts."

"Could say that." The Doctor smiled a little as he watched progress on the monitor while Jack fiddled under the TARDIS. "Don't make any more mess under there. Still fixing the last set of 'adjustments' you made."

Jack ignored him. "I gotta ask. Madame De Pompadour."

"Ah that's not a question. That's a name."

"Ok, Mr Pedantic, what happened with Madame De Pompadour?"

"Nothing happened. We saved her from a bunch of clockwork droids."

"Oh really, the way I heard it was she had the hots for you big time and you abandoned our Rose for good for all she knew, stuck on a spaceship, millions of miles away and no way of getting home all alone."

"She wasn't all alone. She had Mickey."

"Mickey?"

"Yeah you remember the boyfriend, scrawny kid, idiot."

"Oh yeah. So this French chick, what happened between you two?"

"Nothing."

"You know you can keep saying it but I don't believe you."

"I don't care."

"Rose doesn't believe that either."

"What?" 

Jack had his attention now. "Oh yeah. She says you 'danced'!"

"Jack I'm not like you. Sometimes when people say dance they actually mean dance."

"So you actually danced?"

"Yeah, she wanted to make her lover jealous. You know the King of France. Worked too! Shouldn't be much of a surprise really. I mean she was married with children when she met him; and me for that matter. Rose thinks that Reinette and I…?" The Doctor rubbed his eyes and sighed.

"You ok? I said you should stay in bed." Jack chided.

"I'm fine." How could Rose think he'd do that to her? "Reinette was charming and smart and beautiful but that was all part of her job. She seduced people."

"Including you?"

"To an extent. She blindsides you."

"She blindsided the great Doctor?"

"On our third meeting she kissed me. No one's ever kissed me like that, not after three meetings. You just get sucked in."

"And that's it? The corruption of the Doctor is one kiss and an actual dance!"

"Sorry to disappoint."

"Well at least you didn't…." Jack waggled his eyebrows. 

"Cause that would've really upset Rose."

"She had Mickey, she'd never have noticed."

"You know for a smart guy with 900 years of knowledge you can be the dumbest creature in the universe. She left Mickey behind the moment she met you. Bet you were a hit over there though."

"What makes you say that?"

"Well the way Rose tells it you've developed a bit of an oral fixation?"

The Doctor looked at him in puzzlement.

"Apparently you like to go round licking things these days." A wicked grin spread across Jack's face.

"Not without buying me a drink first!"

Jack gave an exaggerated sigh. "So why'd you take him with you anyway?"

"Who?"

"Mickey the idiot."

"Oh, felt like the right thing to do at the time, besides he had to cross over."

"Cross over?"

"Mickey had another life to take over as Ricky."

"Ricky?"

"Are you going to repeat everything I say?"

"Until you actually start explaining everything first time then I'm going with the repetition."

The Doctor closed his weary eyes and rested his head back. "I can see all time lines past and future if I want to. It's all in the TARDIS. That's why I kept calling him Ricky; I'd seen him before in one of those fleeting glimpses. Mickey was never meant to be a coward."

"So you knew that he was going to stay in the other universe."

"I didn't know where I was taking him or when he'd leave us or even if he'd leave us. Nothings written, the future can be changed. I didn't make his decision that's free will but I suppose there is a certain amount of grand design. Every decision we make creates parallels. The 'what if' worlds."

"So you knew Rose would come back for you?"

"Uh no. I never look into my own timeline or those I care about or those connected to them. I never checked Mickey's timeline. To be honest I'd forgotten all about it with everything else going on in the universe, he just became Mickey the idiot."

"How do you resist?"

"Fear. Fear of seeing things I won't like. Some things are better left unknown Jack"

Jack was surprised by the honesty of the Doctor's answer. There were no jokes, no false humour and no honourable reasons about mankind or knowing too much of your own existence. Just one honest word; fear. He regarded the Doctor for a moment.

"You're staring." The Doctor told him, clearing his throat before opening his eyes.

"Well you're just so darn pretty." Jack grinned, flirting a little.

"I've told you not without buying me a drink first!"

"What are you two girls gassing about?" Rose's voice came from the doorway.

"Oh you know just catching up." Jack smiled at her "Pumping him for information. Ok so here's an interesting one for ya Doc. You've died nine times right? We've now known two of you and we know how one died. What about the others? How did you get to this point?"

"You want to know how I died?" The Doctor frowned.

"Yeah. Pretty much."

The Doctor smiled and slowly shook his head.

"Jack! That's horrible!" Rose sat beside the Doctor and took hold of his hand.

"At least he asked me and not the TARDIS." He leant back and closed his eyes again. "Ok, body number one, so long ago. What was I doing? Oh yeah, fighting our old friends the Cybermen and a yeti believe it or not! I guess that regeneration was down to old age really. The second..." He faltered slightly. "The second I was put on trial by the Time Lords was exiled to 20th century earth and forced to regenerate."

"Put on trial? What for?" Rose asked unable to hide the shock in her voice.

"I broke the non-interference laws. It's a long story. But that's when I met the lads at UNIT and Autons. Remember those shop dummies?"

"Oh God." Rose shuddered.

"Autons?" Jack asked.

"Homicidal, living plastic shop dummies." Rose explained.

"Oh lord then there were the Daleks again and the Master." It was the Doctor's turn to shudder.

"The Master?" Rose asked.

"A Rogue Time Lord intent on chaos and destruction." Jack piped up.

"Very good. My exile was lifted after I saved the Time Lords from destruction only to be struck down by radiation poisoning on Metebelis 3. Fourth life lets see, oh that was when I met Sarah-Jane. Rassilion has it been that long? Fourth life," he snorted "oh yeah, I fell from a radio control tower. Fifth life…I died saving Peri. I haven't thought about Peri for years."

"What happened?" Rose asked squeezing his hand tighter.

"We were exposed to dangerous levels of a drug called Spectrox. I only had enough antidote for one…. Ooo six wasn't pretty. That one went a bit wrong for a while. I nearly strangled Peri." He shook his head at the memory then winced as a pain slammed into his forehead. "Lets see that one ended…..fuzzily. I remember the TARDIS being attacked and I think I must've….hit my head on the consol. Seven ended in 1999 San Francisco. I got shot in the middle of a gang war and ended up in hospital. They thought I was fibrillating when they heard two heartbeats and tried to save me." The Doctor opened his eyes and leant his head in his free hand. "Waking up in a morgue isn't as much fun as it sounds." His head was throbbing now and it was getting harder to think and speak.

"Well that takes us up too…eight. You've got one more Doc."

He looked up at the Time Agent; his eyes dark and hollow. Jack took a step back, feeling on edge suddenly "The Time War." Was all the Doctor said. "Lets see how she's doing." He stood and shakily moved to the monitor, all trace of upset and darkness gone.

Jack looked at Rose who seemed unfazed by the sudden change from dark to light.

"She's almost ready. Rose, we need any … oh what's the…." He clicked his fingers at himself trying to prompt the right word. "I.P address or email for your guys at Torchwood."

"No problem. So what's the plan?"

"Remember how I used cracks in time to contact you? Well we're going to do something similar using the rift. The signal should be small enough to slip through the scar without causing any damage."

"But you needed a supernova to have enough power."

"That's why we've been sitting on the rift for so long." He tapped her on the nose and offered a small smile.

"Ah, and there was me thinking you just enjoyed the company." She smiled back, noticing how pale he looked.

Stepping back from the keyboard the Doctor motioned for her to start typing. Her fingers froze on the keys. 

"What do I tell them?"

"The truth?" Jack offered.

"I'm not good at all the sciencey stuff, it seems to lose sense when I explain it."

"No kidding." Jack teased wrapping his arm round her shoulder.

"It'll be fine. You're better than you think you are and I'm not going anywhere." The Doctor said softly.

Rose nodded and began typing.

Jack nodded at the Doctor to follow him to the other side of the consol. "Are you going to be able to do this? You're dead on your feet and you look like hell."

"Rose needs me here. She needs us to be behind her."

XxXxX


	5. Chapter 5

The Doctor sat heavily on the captain's chair as they waited for the connection to steady itself. 

As the static began to clear Rose could make out a familiar and worried face frantically trying to determine what was happening to their computer screen.

"Mickey?"

"Rose? Where are you?"

"I need you to get Pete and Mum."

"Jackie's not here. Are you ok? Where are you?"

"I'm fine, please get Pete." Rose's voice faltered and the Doctor felt it knife his chest.

"Sure thing, hang on." The boy almost fell out of his chair; they could hear his yells and footsteps pounding. Pete skidded into view.

"Rose? Oh thank God. We've been worried sick. Where the hell are you?"

"I…..I need you to tape this message."

"Are you in some kind of trouble?"

"Please, just tape it." Rose's voice cracked again.

"Ok, ok."

"I'm….. I'm in….." Rose burst into tears and fell into the Doctor's arms, out of view of the camera. She could hear Pete and Mickey's calls over the speaker.

The Doctor squeezed his eyes shut and bit down hard on his lip as Rose's grip seared into his skin, holding back his scream.

Jack rushed to his side and peeled Rose off him, taking her to one side to calm her down.  
"Pete. Mickey,” the Doctor greeted, his voice betraying his exhaustion and pain. He took a deep breath as he dragged himself upright.

"Doctor? What's going on?" Pete demanded. "You're not supposed to be here."

"I'm not. I'm not in your world. Simple terms. Rose fell through the rift here in Cardiff. Some idiots thought it'd be a good idea to open it and she got sucked through." He paused as a grunt escaped his lips when a pain slammed into the front of his head again. "Jack closed the rift before I got here but no one knew she was here. Everything that came through was sucked back to where it belongs except Rose and now we can't send her back."

"I don't understand, why wasn't she sucked back through?"

"Because she doesn't belong. In your world Rose never existed, in my world she's dead. The, erm," He was clicking his fingers again, trying to grasp the right word. "Rift! The rift was blind to her."

"And there's no way to send her back at all? Nothing you can do?"

"Not without opening the rift again and we can't do that. It's too dangerous."

Pete nodded. "This is gona kill Jackie."

"I know." He took another deep breath causing him to cough and gasp for air.

"What happened to you?" Pete asked; shocked at how fragile he looked and how muddled he sounded.

"A couple of hundred thousand volts. We didn't want to leave you in the dark." The Doctor changed the subject quickly, looking round to see how Rose was doing. "It's taken a lot to get this message through a crack in the rift and I'm so sorry it's not better news." He held out a shaky hand to his friend.

She crossed over to him and looked at the monitor.

Stepping back the Doctor made his way to the door, gripping the rail until his knuckles turned white.

Jack looked over at Rose saying her tearful goodbyes and caught the Doctor at the door.  
"You've done too much. You're not invincible,” he hissed, keeping his voice low so Rose wouldn't hear.

"James, no lectures. I had to help her." He was talking through gritted teeth.

"You have. And now you're in pain and you just called me James."

"I was in pain before." The Doctor's voice was a growl as he bent almost double. Finally he couldn't hold any longer; he yelled out and collapsed to the floor.

XxXxX

"What was that?" Pete asked her. "Rose? What's happening? Is everything ok?"

"It's the Doctor, he's hurt." Rose ran to the Doctor's side. "Jack?"

"I've got him, he's fine. You carry on." Jack guided her back towards the control panel as he lifted the Doctor.

"Rose? Look after yourself." Pete told her.

"I always do." She felt her eyes well up. "I didn't want it to happen like this."

"If you can get in touch again…."

"I will. Tell mum I love her and I'm sorry."

"I will love."

"And Mickey. I'm going to miss you so much."

"I'm gona miss you too. You always wanted to be with him anyway."

"But I never really wanted to never see you all again."

"Never say never." Mickey told her.

"That's what Jack says."

"Jack?"

"Yeah, you remember the good looking American."

"Ah, yeah." Mickey rolled his eyes. "Surrounded by good looking blokes."

Rose gave a little laugh. "Could be worse." The picture started to become grainy and the hum of the TARDIS grew louder. She knew this was it; the TARDIS was struggling to keep the connection open. "I have to go. I love you all very much." She heard the men call something out to her but she couldn't make it out. The picture disintegrated and she was alone in the control room. Sitting heavily in the captain's chair, Rose allowed herself to cry for the family she'd left behind.

XxXxX

"Someone should be with Rose,” the Doctor rasped.

"I'll check on her in a while. Give her a little time to herself. Who's James?" he asked, practically forcing the Doctor to lie down.

"James? Why do you want to know about him?"

"You called me James. Back in the control room."

"Did I? He's an old friend." The Doctor's head rolled to one side as he passed out.

"How's he doing?" Rose's voice came from the doorway.

Jack looked up and sighed as he saw the red puffiness of her eyes. "Not well. He's done too much and he's getting confused."

She crossed the room and sat on the side of the Doctor's bed. "I hurt him."

"When?"

"When I hugged him. I hurt him. I know I did, I could see it when he was talking to Pete and Mickey. I shouldn't have done it."

"Rose you didn't intend to hurt him. It was the last thing on your mind."

"But it shouldn't have been Jack. I should have been looking after him."

Jack leaned forward in his chair and took Rose's hands in his. "The Doctor was more concerned about you. He knew you'd get upset and he wanted to be there. It's his own stubbornness of getting out of bed before he should that got him in this state, not you. He wouldn't have it any other way."

"I can't bear to lose him again, Jack."

"Who said anything about losing him? He's not going anywhere. And the way I understand it he's got a few bodies to get through yet."

"But I don't want him to. I don't think I could bear it if he changed again. It was hard enough when he changed at Christmas and now…"

"And now you love him even more with this face?"

She nodded.

"Rose, he's still the same person he was before, still has the same feelings the same memories and still adores you. That's never going to change, no matter how much I try my luck." He grinned at her.

"But he is different. He's…. even more…." She struggled to find the right word, "kooky." She shrugged. "And I like it. If he regenerates he won't be the same."

"Well lucky for you I am a great nurse and he's going to be fine. Besides I'm looking forward to meeting the new him properly. You know, without the sadness and barbecuing."

"I'm glad you're here Jack. I've missed you." Rose wrapped her arms around the former time agent.

"No you haven't, but I appreciate the thought."

"Are you going to stay?"

"Until he's back to 100 percent. I've got my own flock to keep tabs on. They tend to do dumb things like open rifts in space and time causing mass hysteria and major problems."

"Must remember to thank them for that,” Rose said a smile tugging at her lips.

"Oh?"

"Well, without them I wouldn't be here now."

"No, true, but you'd be at home with your family."

"Jack, this is my home. This funny big blue box. She's as much a part of me as he is. Even when they're in a different universe." She looked round at the Doctor and smiled softly. "Life without these two is just too…"

"Domestic,” the Doctor whispered.

Jack and Rose watched a small smile touch his lips.

"How long have you been listening?" Jack asked him.

"Not long." He frowned against the pain in his head as he opened his eyes.  
"Isn't there anything you can take for that?"

"For what? Listening?"

"No, the pain smart alec."

"In the infirmary. Third draw down on the left as you go in the door."

"I'm on it." Jack jogged from the room.

"You alright?" the Doctor asked her.

"I should be asking you that."

"I'm not the one stuck here when everything I know and love is on the other side."

"Not everything is on the other side. I'm ok. I promise. I've said my goodbyes." She shrugged and looked down at her hands.

He reached out and covered her hands with his. "You don't have to pretend with me Rose. You're allowed to be sad and angry."

"But that's just it. I'm angry with myself because I don't think I feel as sad as I should. Does that make any sense?"

"More than you think."

Rose looked back at the Doctor and gazed at him for a while.

"What?"

"Just glad you're still here."

"Where else would I be?" His chest heaved as he began to cough.

"Well here but I'm glad you're still you."

The Doctor squeezed his eyes shut trying to make sense of her words. "Who else would I be?"

"I…. well it's just I ….. really like your freckles."

He frowned then sighed in realisation. "Oh Rose. I'm not planning on getting rid of them yet. I'm rather fond of them." He offered her a weary smile and tugged on her hand gently, pulling her down to him. He felt her sigh against his chest as she relaxed listening to his dual heart beats.

XxXxX

"Jack? Jack!"

The Time Agent snapped awake at Rose's call almost falling off the Captain's chair. "What is it? What's wrong?"

"It's the Doctor, I can't find him anywhere."

"How long ago did it give him his pain meds?"

"I don't know. I guess I was asleep."

"Ok, don't panic. He can't have got far."

"He's not here Jack. He's not in the TARDIS." Rose couldn't keep the worry from her voice.  
"The TARDIS is a big place."

"Jack, I've been searching for the last hour. He's not here and his coat is gone." Suddenly Rose looked over at the front door.

"Well he won't have gone out there, I'd have heard him,” Jack told her but she wasn't listening.

XxXxX

He took a deep breath of night air and turned his face up to the full moon. From his perch on the buildings edge he could see all the lights of Cardiff. He'd been watching the groups of people milling around the Millennium Centre some having drunken arguments, others feeling amorous as they finally made their way home in the small hours.

"Are you going to stand there all night or are you going to come and sit down?" His gruff voice filtered through the air. He smiled to himself as he heard Rose's footsteps crunch across the rooftop, the TARDIS door clicking shut behind her.

"We've been looking for you. I was worried sick."

The Doctor turned his head to look at her. "Sorry. Just needed to see the outside."

"You're going to freeze out here,” she told him, shuddering herself. "You're half naked."

"Just as well it's only half. Besides, I've got more clothes on than her." He pointed to a group of teenagers in the street below. "Why is it human beings walk around in skimpy pieces of material, pretending its clothing then complain when they get ill?"

Rose giggled. "I've got a skirt that short."

The Doctor's eyes widened as he looked at her. "That's a skirt? I thought she'd got confused and come out in an extra wide belt."

"You're so old sometimes."

"Hmm. And you're stuck with me."

"Could be worse. So how did you get out without Jack catching you?"

"A herd of elanderos could get by without waking nom."

She leant against his arm and laid her head on his shoulder. "How's your head?"

"Clow tate,” he said.

"What?" Rose looked up at him confused. She's ignored the two words earlier thinking they were her imagination but she knew that wasn't.

"Clow tate,” he repeated slower, quirking an amused eye brow.

"Doctor you're not making sense."

His amusement dissipated as he tried to speak. "Na gen mi urna." His face dropped as he realised what was happening. Unsteadily he got to his feet and started towards the TARDIS, Rose hot on his heels. "Jack! Jack! Na gen al meda tidique."

"Ah in English please?" Jack retorted as the Doctor stormed into the control room earning him an impatient look. The Doctor squeezed his eyes shut and tried to think.

"No English,” he managed as he tried to pull up the access panel.

"Hey hey! You are in no fit state to be going down there. Tell me what you need and I'll do it." Jack grabbed the panel and gently pushed the Doctor back.

"No English,” he said again, desperately hoping one of them would understand.

"Rose?" Jack turned to the girl. "What happened outside?"

"I don't know one minute he was fine then suddenly he started talking gibberish."

"What did he say?"

"I don't know…. Um…. Cow tat?"

"Clow tate,” the Doctor corrected a twinge of hope seeping into his veins; Jack was trying to work it out.

"The TARDIS isn't translating,” Rose said.

"Right. And there are only two explanations I can think of. One, he really is speaking nonsense and the blow to the head did more damage than we thought,"

_Come on Jack, you're smarter than that. Think about it. English isn't my first language. ___

__"Or two, something went wrong with the translation circuit."_ _

__They both jumped as the Doctor cheered._ _

__"You can understand us?"_ _

__"Kah." The Doctor nodded.  
"But you can't speak English?"_ _

__"Little." The Doctor shrugged._ _

__"Wow, this is the first time the alien has felt alien to me." Jack frowned jumping into the pit beneath the consol. "Right Doc, what am I looking for?"_ _

__He scrabbled around looking for the TARDIS manual. It had to be here somewhere only problem was he hadn't used it in years._ _

__"Looking for this?" Jack held up a small tatty book and the Doctor tutted rolling his eyes. "You're going to have to point out what I'm looking at because I don't understand Gallifreyan. Oh and when you can speak English again, can you explain to me why the TARDIS doesn't translate what's on its screen?"_ _

__The Doctor nodded impatiently and started to flick through the book. As he found the information he needed he crouched stiffly next to the hatch and pointed to one of the diagrams._ _

__Rose watched as Jack nodded his silent understanding. The Doctor looked tense and tired. He'd aged a lot in the last two years, his frown lines were more defined than she remembered and he constantly had dark circles under his eyes but she still felt a bubble of happiness when she looked at him._ _

__He could feel her watching him. He looked up at her and offered a small smile. Rose smiled back, walked over to him and took hold of his hand, pressing a light kiss against his shoulder._ _

__"Well, the wiring is shot but this," Jack pulled out a microchip, "this looks fine to me. How bout you?" He held it up for the Doctor to inspect. Turning it over in his fingers he peered at it shaking his head. "What's up? Something wrong with it?"_ _

__The Doctor shrugged and muttered something inaudible looking around him._ _

__"What is it? What do you need?" Rose asked._ _

__The Doctor looked back at her and tapped one of the corners of his eyes._ _

__"Glasses!" Rose yelped triumphantly as the Doctor smiled. "He can't see it properly."_ _

__"We really need to get this fixed. Charades is never fun when you're sober." Jack grumbled as Rose ran off to fetch the Doctor's glasses._ _

__XxXxX_ _


	6. Chapter 6

The Doctor found Rose sat watching the television while they waited for Jack to return with wires he was stealing from his office.  
He had managed to dress himself in a clean pair of trousers but was struggling to twist into a clean shirt. He hadn't even attempted a tie as his hands didn't want to co-operate with each other and as far a shoes went, he didn't much fancy bending down that far to tie them so he found an old pair of slippers in the wardrobe.

Rose heard the Doctor sigh heavily. "You ok?"

"Kah."

"Liar." She told him standing and taking his shirt from him.

He snapped his head up to look at her.

"Kah means yes right?" She slipped his shirt up his arms and over his shoulders before moving round to the front.

He nodded at her question.

"Like I said, liar." She gave him a small smile and pressed a light to kiss his cheek as she began to do up the buttons. "Jack will fix it. It's only a bit of wiring."

"Na latara yo beni neta." His eyes looked sad and Rose felt a pang, wishing she could understand him. She reached up and stroked the side of his face. He took her hand in his and pressed a light kiss into her palm before flopping onto the sofa to watch television. "Rassilion ig for!" he exclaimed suddenly.

"What is it? What's wrong?" Rose asked, watching as he pressed the heels of his hands against his eyes. "The pain killers wearing off?"

"Kah." He stood unsteadily, holding on to the arm of the sofa as the world spun.

"Easy." Rose said reaching out to support him.

Gingerly he stepped towards the door and slowly made his way to the infirmary.

"Why won't you let me get them?"

"Na latara yo beni neta." His voice was sterner this time.

"You said that earlier and I don't understand."

The Doctor growled as he rummaged through the drawers trying to find something to stop the pain.

Rose came up behind him and put her hand on his shoulder causing him to whimper. "Oh god I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," she told him snapping her hand back.

He shook his head and gave her a crooked half smile as he tried to open a pill bottle one handed. Rose held out her hand and gestured him to give it to her.

"Ig amlor zo," he said softly. He knew she didn't understand him and right now he was glad. He wasn't sure he'd be able to say it out loud yet, although he was sure he'd said something similar the night before but it was all a bit hazy. He didn't remember much between the electric shock and Rose finding him outside, he knew she couldn't go home and that she'd spent most of the time sleeping in his bed with him. Then a thought almost stopped both his hearts. He hadn't, had he? Surely he wouldn't have….. The Doctor's gaze snapped to Rose's face as she held out two pills for him to take.

"What?" She watched his face, his eyes darkening a faint look of confusion and indecision lurking. "Doctor, are you ok?"

"Aven bini ig beni finat nict?" His voice was barely a whisper as he tried to piece together the fragments of his memories, his eyes never leaving her face. Had they really done that or was it a dream of some kind? With shaking fingers he reached out for the pills and swallowed them dry almost choking for his effort.

"Jack where are you?" Rose said; frustration clear in her voice. "Don't get me wrong, I'd love to learn your language but when I don't know what you're saying everything gets a little complicated. Well a little more than usual. We don't do normal here do we?"

The Doctor chuckled and pressed a kiss to her forehead. She looked up into his crinkled eyes and her breath caught, watching as his gaze flicked between her eyes and her lips. She unconsciously licked her lips wondering who would move first. Moment after agonising moment ticked by causing more butterflies than she'd ever felt before to form in Rose's stomach. Her eyes fluttered closed as his face got closer readying herself for his kiss.

"Good news folks. I got the wire," Jack cheered as he walked down the corridor.

The Doctor and Rose both sighed and stepped back as they heard Jack's footsteps approach.

"Well don't look too pleased! Everything ok?" he asked, his gaze flicking from one to the other.

"Doctor's pain killers wore off."

XxXxX

Rose watched the Doctor pace as Jack cursed underneath the consol.

"Aven va vi?" The Doctor rushed to the pit.

"You're going to wear yourself out. You're meant to be taking it easy!" Jack moaned at him.

"Na calstan!"

"I bet that was 'I can't'," Rose said watching the Doctor.

"Rayo haln!" he exclaimed a grin splitting his face before frowning and holding a hand to his head.

"Will you sit down?!" Jack was almost yelling. "I've got my own people to keep an eye on you know and I don't want to have to hang around here nursing you for ages just because you're too bull headed to do as you're told! I'm pretty sure Rose wants you back to normal and knowing you you'll want to be off as soon as you're better so shut up sit down and relax before I make you!"

The Doctor bit his lip as he tried not to laugh. Rose watched the muscles in his cheeks twitch before he gave in to the giggles.

Jack jumped up out of the pit. "What the hell is so funny?" He looked round at Rose.

"No idea. Doctor?"

He looked at their confused faces and giggled even harder. 

Jack grabbed his face and looked into the Doctor's eyes. "Rose how many pills did you give him?"

"Two."

Jack nodded. "Better go get him a lot of water."

"Why?"

"He's high." Jack guided the almost hysterical Doctor to a seat and sat him down before returning to the pit.

"High?"

"As a kite. He only needed to take one. I'm surprised he didn't notice."

"He wasn't really paying attention, like something was puzzling him."

"Better hurry with that water. The quicker he drinks it the quicker he comes down."

"Buzz killer," Rose said with a little smile before leaving the control room.

XxXxX  
"Right Doc, try saying something." Jack wiped his hands on a cloth.

"As such?"

Jack frowned. "Say something else."

"Drink need I a."

"Right so it's translating but it's turned you into Yoda." Jack sighed. "Any ideas?"

"Round switch and wires blue red."

Jack jumped back down and pulled out the sonic screwdriver.

"Rose where's?"

"She went that-a-way." He pointed to the corridor.

"Was that when?"

"While you were dozing. Go on, go join her, I can do this." Jack gave the Doctor a crooked smile.

"Break a take. Tired look you. Fridge there's in beers."

"Doc you just said the magic words. Beers and fridge!"

XxXxX

As laughter drifted down the hall Rose found the men in the kitchen, Jack laughing so hard tears began to roll down his cheeks and he struggling to breathe. The Doctor was at the counter with a big grin on his face pouring himself a cup of tea.

"What's so funny?" Rose asked seating herself beside Jack.

"Werewolves." The Doctor told her, causing Jack to laugh even more. "Weight a light is Jack." then grimaced at the look on her face.

"What?"

"Circuit speech scrambled."

"Oh. Jack's a light weight!" Rose smiled. "At least you're speaking English now. Well kind of."

"About tell it me." He rolled his eyes, placing his hand on her shoulder and absently stroking her neck with the side of his finger.

"I can't believe you both got banished from your own county!" The time agent was almost sliding off his chair.

"My not country. Alien."

"Hey hang on! I'm not a light weight!" Jack complained.

"Have many you how had?" The Doctor chuckled.

"What?"

"He said how many have you had?" Rose translated.

"Oh, um." Jack started to count with his fingers. "Three…. Oh." He pouted.

"Like the Doctor said, light weight." She couldn't help but grin.

"Hey, it's alien beer!"

"Pfft." The Doctor sniggered and shook his head.

"Hey Yoda, don't you start!"

"Going what about you to are it do?"

"Hmm, how bout a dance?" Jack stood and squared up to the Doctor.

"Lead get only I if to," the Doctor told him switching on the radio.

"No chance." A wolfish grin spread across his face as he pulled the Doctor closer and Rose bit her lip trying not to laugh as Jack started to almost throw the Doctor round, serenading him with the words to 'Buttercup' but she became concerned as the Doctor's smile began to look pained. 

"Mind if I cut in?" she asked pulling Jack away.

The Doctor gave Rose a grateful smile before disappearing out the door.

XxXxX

He hadn't touched the panel since it short circuited. He could feel his hands tremble every time he reached out to touch his machine and it frustrated him. He knew it was stupid and he'd seen Jack fiddling with it without any trouble but he felt like he was fighting a mini battle inside and at the moment fear was winning.

The Doctor had been staring at the control panel so intently he hadn't heard Rose stop outside the control room. He didn't even feel her watching him as he hesitantly approached the panel, his hands stuffed firmly in his pockets  
She was about to make her presence known when Jack stopped her.

He held his finger to his lips. "He needs to do this on his own," he whispered in her ear. "Once bitten twice shy."

Rose nodded slipping further into the shadows. She felt her stomach tighten with nerves as she watched a shaky hand reach out and pause mid-air. She gripped Jack's hand willing the TARDIS not to hurt the Doctor. Holding her breath she closed her eyes as the Doctor's hand edged closer to the control panel.

The Doctor squeezed his eyes shut and felt his body tense as his fingers brushed the control panel. He opened his eyes and let out a sigh of relief as he realised nothing had happened. He started to chuckle.

Jack pressed a light kiss to the top of Rose's head and left her alone in the shadows.

"Girl hello old." The Doctor groaned and rubbed his hand across his face as he listened to himself speak. "Is enough right enough," he grumbled lifting the panel from the floor, growling at the pain that shot through his arm.

"What are you doing?" Rose demanded from the doorway.

"Had I've enough."

"Let Jack fix it. You're going to hurt yourself."

"Drunk Jack's. Myself It I do want to," he snapped, carefully climbing under the control panel.

"Fine, but don't blame me if you end up screaming like a girl!" Rose spat back before storming off. Ok so it wasn't the best come back ever; in fact it was probably her worst ever. She berated herself as she stalked through the TARDIS, ignoring Jack prancing around the living room, swinging his t-shirt around his head and headed for her bedroom, slamming the door behind her.

XxXxX

"Jack have you seen Rose?"

"She was storming that way last time I saw her. You two had a tiff? Hey you're speaking normally! Wheyhey!"

The Doctor didn't stop to chat as Jack collapsed on the sofa; he carried on his way checking rooms as he went before finally stopping at Rose's bedroom. Taking a deep breath he knocked.

"What?!" Rose's annoyed voice came from the other side.

"Can I….er…can I come in?"

There was a pause before she flung the door open. "What?"

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have snapped at you. I'm not good with people fussing around me."

Rose just stood and glared at him.

"Jack, er Mick er Rose," he stumbled over the names, shaking his head trying to clear it, "you know me, I'm stubborn and rude at times. I don't mean to be but when things go wrong…." He shrugged, tugging on his ear.

"So you fixed it then," she said finally.

"Yeah. He'd put the wires in the wrong way round."

Rose took his bandaged hand gently in hers. "I'm glad I can understand you now, even if you do call me by the wrong name."

"I'm sorry; it's not that I don't know…."

"I know. Mickey had concussion once when he was trying to learn to skateboard. He was calling me 'mum' for like a week." She saw the Doctor's lips quirk. "Where's Jack?"

"About to pass out in front of the t.v in the living room."

"Your room it is then."

"Huh?"   
She saw the flicker of panic in the Doctor's eyes and tried to hide her smile. "Well your t.v is better than mine and you look half asleep anyway at least you'll be comfy."

"My room it is then. No offence if I fall asleep though," he said as she led him down the hallway.

"None taken, you do that a lot at the moment."

"Yeah, two years without sleep and now I can't go for a day."

"Two years? You didn't sleep for two years?"

"Nope."

Rose looked up at him and saw the hard set of his features. She knew she shouldn't ask but she was itching to know. "Why?"

The Doctor looked at her as he crossed over to the bed picking up a remote control. "Why what?"

"Why didn't you sleep for two years? I mean I know you don't normally sleep as much as us humans but isn't two years a bit much even for you?"

"Yeah it is," he sighed as he lay back against his pillows, flicking through television channels. "You coming?"

"Are you going to answer my question?" Rose asked crawling up the bed beside him.

"Sleep leads to dreams, dreams turn into nightmares. Easiest way to avoid them is to keep the lights on and your eyes open."

"You have nightmares?"

"Every species dream. Human or not. Even animals have dreams."

"What were they about?"

"Things I'd rather forget." He slipped his glasses on, eyes remained fixed on the television screen.

"How's your shoulder feeling?" she asked, taking the hint that a change of subject was needed.

"Better. It's sore but it's getting better."

"Good." Rose gazed at him for a while, the television screen reflecting in his lenses.

"What?" He eyed her suspiciously.

"Just glad I'm here."

"As opposed to….?"

"Where I was. I'd rather be anywhere as long as you're there too." Her voice was barely a whisper, as if she wasn't sure she should say it. She held her breath as the Doctor just looked at her, unblinking, she wondered if he was about to make her leave. Maybe last night had been a mistake. What if he regretted it? What if he hadn't meant it? What if it had been a moment of delirium for him brought on by his pain?

She was always so honest with him and he barely told her anything. She knew very little about him and she was willing to give up everything to be with him. The Oncoming Storm, the killer of his own kind. Maybe it was time for a bit of a history lesson.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that." Rose felt panic bubble as he continued to look at her.

"Why?" he asked finally, confusion plain on his face. "You can tell me anything you know that. And on that note…." The Doctor turned and flicked a switch above the headboard. The ceiling started to shift, closing in on itself until all they could see was outer space.

"Wow." Rose gasped.

"It's a bit like a….. oh what's the word? You know those places where they study stars and planets." He was clicking his fingers again, while his other hand rested on the top of his head.

"Observatory?"

"Right! Yes an observatory. Only this one shows whatever I want it too. If you stood outside you wouldn't see any of this, just plain old Cardiff sky."

"That's beautiful." She pointed up. "What is it?"

"Hang on" He pointed his screwdriver and the universe seemed to come rushing towards them. "That was my home," he said   
softly, sadness lacing his words. "That is Gallifrey."

"But I thought you said it was gone."

"It is. Like I said, it shows what I want it to." He stood and moved over to the dresser. "Rose if you're stuck with me…"

"Stop saying it like that!"

"Like what?"

"Like it's a death sentence. I'm happy I'm here."

He sighed wearily and leant back against the chest of drawers. "Fine, seeing as you are planning on staying with me there's something you need to know. About me."

"Oo serious tone."

"Rose."

"Sorry." She sat up on the bed, looking up at his planet.

"I have to tell you this; you have to know the truth."

"Now you're beginning to scare me."

"Good. You should be. There's a reason they call me the Oncoming Storm Rose. Storms destroy things and that's what I do. I destroy." There was coldness in his eyes that Rose had never seen before.

"No you don't. You've saved so many worlds and universes."

"But not my own. Rose have you never wondered how I survived the Time War when everyone else died?"

"I suppose I never really thought about it."

"Well then Rose Tyler, this is my life." Holding up the screwdriver again he buzzed the ceiling and it came to life. He got up and moved towards the door and leant on the frame, ignoring Rose's look of confusion. "This is who I am."

XxXxX


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warning..... Smut bunnies

Rose followed his gaze back to the ceiling and watched. It was almost like watching a film on a giant screen.  
She saw thousands of space ships heading for the planet, lasers firing all around. Thousands, no millions of Daleks flew out of the ships and spread like a plague of locust. Another fleet of ships were fighting back but there were no where near as many and no where near enough. Then she saw one she recognised, the Doctor's TARDIS peeling off from the fleet and head back to land.  
Rose's gazed flicked over to the Doctor. He was leaning back against the wall, head down, ankles crossed, arms folded across his chest and his face as hard as stone.  
Looking back up she saw the Daleks were defeating the Time Lords; TARDIS' were falling as they crumbled under the unrelenting assault.

The Daleks can't win. They just can't.

A few moments passed and then there was a huge explosion making Rose jump. A great wave of fire consumed everything in its path; the planet exploded leaving nothing but debris floating in the black void.

"So you ran away. You survived. What's so terrible about that? There was no way of beating them," Rose told him, she made to move towards him but was stopped dead by the look on his face as his head snapped up.

"I didn't run," he spat. "What makes you think I ran?"

"I saw you, your TARDIS heading away from the planet."

"I wasn't running I was planning the end. The only way to end everything, my entire galaxy destroyed because of me. That explosion wasn't an accident; that was me. I took Gallifrey's main power source and threw it into the primary star causing a supernova that destroyed my world and everyone in it."

Rose stared at him. "You did it?"

"Yep. The whole galaxy kaput. I burnt it up. Daleks, Time Lords. My…. Everything and everyone that should mean something, I killed. Only I didn't get to die. My TARDIS saved me; I don't remember how, I was regenerating. Then a while later I met you."

"Why did you show me this?" Rose asked, tears brimming in her eyes.

"Because you need to know who I am. You need to know what you're getting into. You can't go home to Jackie after an adventure or when you're scared. You don't have family and friends to turn to when you're upset or lonely. So I'm giving you a way out, cards on the table. I can't lie to you and expect you to trust me with your entire life. You don't like it then you can leave, I won't stop you."

"You really think I would do that?" Rose felt herself bubble with anger at him.

"This isn't a fairy tale Rose;" He grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her slightly. "I can't wave a magic wand and change what I did. God knows I wish I could but I can't and it haunts me. I murdered millions and I have to deal with that every second of my life. You don't."

"And if I were to leave where would I go?" Rose challenged her hands planted firmly on her hips.

"With Jack. You've worked for Torchwood. I'm sure you could show him a thing or two."

She stared at him in disbelief as he turned away from her. "Oi! Where the hell do you think you're going? You've had your say, I think I deserve mine!" She watched with some satisfaction as he stopped at the door. "Ok, so what you did…. It's…. scary and horrible but you haven't told me the whole story. I'm not stupid Doctor. I've met the Daleks, I know what they do. They dive into the universe and take away all living things, anything with feelings and a soul. You said your people kept the universes in line, kept everything peaceful. Without the Time Lords the Daleks would win. I get that and from a completely selfish point of view what you did was the lesser of two evils."

He whirled around at this, his eyes blazing with fury. "The lesser of two evils? They were my family Rose! My wife and my children! You have no idea how it feels to know you're responsible for killing everything you love. Don't you dare tell me it was the lesser of two evils!"

"Then why do it? Why destroy everything?"

"Because I forgot! I forgot them! All I could see was Daleks winning and taking over the Time Vortex and this galaxy and the next and the next and the next. I forgot my family were there and there was no way I should've survived. No one should've walked away with just one less regeneration. I should be dead with everyone else and I'm not!" He was almost shouting at her now and she was shaking. She was scared of him but Jack was right, his dark side was sexy.

She knew she shouldn't be thinking it. It was wildly inappropriate but she threw herself at him anyway. Grabbing the neck of his shirt she pulled him down to her, her lips crushing against his. Reaching up with her free hand she grabbed a handful of his hair as his hands curled around her. Rose pressed herself against him causing him to lose his balance and fall back, grunting as his injured shoulder smashed against the wall.

He rolled so that she was pressed against the wall and disentangled her arms from round him holding them against the wall.  
"Rose," he panted, resting his forehead against hers. "This is insane. I just told you that I murdered millions and you're throwing yourself at me."

"I know. What you said scared the hell out of me and I should probably be running a mile but I can't, I look at you and I just want you even more."

"That doesn't make any sense."

"I know and right now I don't care. Ever since last night…." She bit her lip as she looked into his eyes.

"Last night. That really happened?"

"You don't remember?"

"Sort of, it's all a bit fuzzy. I thought for a while maybe I had dreamt it." He shrugged as a flush of embarrassment crept up his face.

"Then maybe we can refresh your memory."

He stood looking at her, not knowing what to do. His brain was only working at half power and it was telling him this was crazy but the rest of him was telling him 'to hell with it'.

"Doctor," Rose purred, shifting against him.

"That's not fair," he growled as she nipped at his lips.

"If you're so dangerous, why don't you show me just how dangerous you are?"

"Rose this isn't a game."

"Who's playing?"

He released her arms and stepped back from her, his eyes the darkest shade Rose had ever seen. "I'm giving you a chance to leave, Rose. Before this goes too far."

"I'm not going anywhere. You're all I've got, right or wrong, good or bad. And stupid me I love you no matter what you think you are or what you've done. I can't change that and you know it!" Her own eyes were blazing with want and anger.

The Doctor couldn't take it any more; he reached out and pulled her roughly against him, his mouth seeking hers. He felt her fumbling with the buttons of his shirt and he shuddered as her fingers brushed his skin. His own trembling hands slipped under the hem of her t-shirt and he heard a sharp intake of breath, causing him to smile against her mouth.

"Is that door locked?" Rose whispered breathlessly, trailing kisses across his jaw and down his throat. She heard the sonic screwdriver and a click at the door.

"Is now," he told her.

"Good." Pulling away from him she pulled her t-shirt over her head and threw it clear across the room before pulling his shirt down his arms.

Grabbing at her he pulled her back and they tripped up the step in front of the bed and fell heavily onto the mattress causing the Doctor to yelp.

"Shoulder?" Rose asked

He didn't respond he just lifted his hips so she ended up on her back and claimed her mouth again with more urgency than Rose thought possible. It sent shock waves through her veins and her whole body began to buzz.

Rather awkwardly he single-handedly undid her jeans. Rose lifted her hips and helped him remove them before hurriedly stripping him.

"Hey Doc, you in there?"

Rose froze at the sound of Jack's drunken call, trying not to giggle but the Doctor had other ideas. She squeaked as he licked her nipple, flicking it and nipping at it before returning to her lips and she greedily accepted him.

"Doc?"

He ran his fingers down the side of her face, down between her breasts, over her stomach causing her to gasp as he teased around the area she so desperately wanted him to touch. A satisfied smile crept across his face as her eye lids fluttered shut.  
Rose reached down and wrapped her hand around him, grateful to hear him moan as she began stroking him.

Unable to take his teasing any more, Rose gripped his hand with her free one and pressed it harder against her, moving it so it was exactly where she wanted him. "There," she whispered and gave a louder moan as his fingers rubbed round and round over her most sensitive spot. Rose wasn't sure how much more she could take when without warning his fingers entered her all the while his thumb continued to play torturing her so blissfully just as he had last night.

"Oh god," she gasped as his mouth reached her earlobe and nipped when she squeezed him even harder.

"Doc, are you sleeping?" Jack's slurred voice came again as the door shuddered slightly before they heard his unsteady footsteps retreat a little way down the hall.

The Doctor pushed himself up so he was hovering over her, kissing his way down her throat towards her breasts continuing his assault down her stomach and smiled as he felt her flinch when his lips passed her belly button. Her hips started to buck against his fingers and he knew it wouldn't be long.

She whimpered when he withdrew his fingers but cried out when she felt his tongue lick into her.  
He could feel her legs begin to tense and her muscles to tighten against his mouth. He thrust more insistently and faster rubbing circles faster on her sensitive bud.

"Doctor," she gasped. "Stop please." The effect was instant, he stopped and was at her side his face concerned and questioning. She smiled at him "I need to feel you." She panted pulling his face to her for a hungry kiss. She reached down and felt how hard he was. Curling her legs around him she pressed her hips against his. "Fuck me," she begged.

For a moment he was shocked, he'd never known this Rose before but all thought was lost when she slammed up, impaling herself on him and began rocking against him so hard he had to brace one hand against the headboard. He watched Rose bite her lip her head rolling with each thrust. "Harder."

He slipped his arms underneath her and gripped her shoulders to stop her hitting the headboard, thrusting harder and harder, his shoulder and head beginning to throb. Her brow creased and she dragged her nails down his back.  
She opened her eyes and stared straight into his as they neared their climax. Wrapping her legs tighter round him she changed the pace on him, as he thrust she held him in place for a moment then released him until he understood. He slammed into her hard and kept pushing for a moment then withdrew over and over. He knew she was close; he was almost over the edge. His whole body was beginning to burn in a way he hadn't felt for centuries and it began to scare him. A yellow glow crept into view in the corners of his eyes and he wondered if Rose could see it too. Something wasn't right. He reached between them with one hand and played with her as he continued, desperately trying to hold on for her. Then she let out the most fantastic scream and the Doctor let go, collapsing on top of her.

He gasped for air, his lungs burning as he struggled to move off her. Looking at Rose he saw the look of shock on her face.

"What was that?" she gasped, turning her head to look at him. He was pale and shaking and his chest was heaving. "Are you ok?"

He shook his head and tired to speak but nothing came out.

"What is it? What can I do?" She was on her feet and running to his side of the bed.

The Doctor reached for the bedpost and pulled himself upright, whimpering and sucking air into his lungs. He swung his legs off the bed and attempted to stand.

"What are you doing?"

"Infirmary," he gasped.

"Right."

XxXxX


	8. Chapter 8

Jack sobered remarkably quickly when he saw what state the Doctor was in. He had woken up slumped against the corridor wall as Rose and the Doctor stumbled past. He rushed over and held the Doctor up. "What the hell happened?" Looking over at Rose he saw her blush. "Right." He shook his head. "You're going to be the death of me!" 

XxXxX

Once Jack had seated him on one of the beds he pulled an oxygen mask over the Doctor's nose.

"He was fine one minute then he suddenly got shaky and pale and he couldn't breathe."

The Doctor watched the pair as he dragged the air into his lungs. This was not a conversation he wanted to be having.

"Jack," he gasped pulling the mask off his mouth only for Jack to snap it back on.

"No way, that stays on. I told you, you have to take it easy but you wouldn't listen and now we're all paying for it!"

The Doctor shook his head. "Jack watch." He breathed out and a yellow wisp of smoke trailed from his lips.

"Wait a minute, I've seen that before," Rose said watching the Doctor's eyes sparkle, telling her she was on the right path.

"That's excess energy like when he regenerated. Oh god, you're not regenerating are you?"

Jack looked up at the fear in her voice and gave her a hard 'pull it together look'.

"Doc, you know what's going on?" The Doctor waggled his hand, telling them 'maybe'. He pointed at Rose and crooked his finger. Gingerly she stepped towards him. Taking hold of her hand he pressed it against a scanner plate.

"This ever happened before?" Jack asked.

The Doctor held up his index finger but Jack wasn't sure if he was saying 'once' or 'wait'.

Rose's hand began to tingle and her mind was racing, there was so much information floating round her head as everything she saw and the Doctor's words came back to her. He had a wife. She knew he'd had a child; he'd made an off-hand comment in the past that she never got the chance to pick him up on but it had never occurred to her that he'd been married.

"Ever happen with your wife?" Rose's tone betrayed her jealousy.

The Doctor gave her a hard look through his eyelashes as he continued to gulp air.

Jack's ears pricked up. "Your wife? You're married?"

Holding the Sonic screwdriver to the consol, the Doctor looked up at him. _It was a long time ago_. His voice came out of speakers somewhere in the room. _A very long time ago._

"So how come you never mentioned it?" Rose asked. 

_It never came up._

"She just slipped your mind yeah?"

_Rose, I'm 900 years old. Do you honestly believe anyone can be alone for 9 centuries? Besides it wasn't a marriage in the sense you'd have one. Gallifreyan marriages were based on compatibility, it was all about how well matched you were. Nothing to do with emotions. At college we're taught, mathematics, telepathy and 'Emotional detachment' training. We don't do emotions_. There was a hint of loathing in the Doctor's voice.

"Well that's not true. You have emotions running riot in this place." Jack told him.

_That's because I tend to bend the rules which ultimately gets me into trouble._

"So why'd you marry her if you didn't feel anything for her?" Rose questioned.

_I never said I didn't feel anything for her. Duty was the reason we got married. I loved her but wasn't in love with her._

"But you had kids with her."

Jack's gazed flicked between the Doctor and Rose, he felt like an intruder and knew he should go but he was resistant to leave the Doctor in the state he was in. His breathing wasn't getting any easier and he was still shaking. The consol beeped and the Doctor pulled Rose to him, peering at the screen.

"What is it?" Jack asked.

_Oh this is going to take so much effort_! The Doctor complained, getting to his feet.

"Woah woah woah. What do you think you are doing?" The Doctor reached out and put his own hand on the same pad Rose had. The scanner consol began to hum loudly and his hand began to glow yellow.

"Doctor?" Rose moved to his side and reached out to touch him.

"No!" he rasped, his eyes locking with hers.

"What's happening? What's going on?"

"Time Vortex." His voice was slowly coming back and his breathing was becoming less strained.

"What can we do?"

"Tea." He managed a small smile.

"Tea. Right!" Rose ran from the room.

"So you gona explain?" Jack asked, positioning himself behind the Doctor ready to catch him if he fell.

"Remember I said Rose used the erm…Time Vortex! Time Vortex to defeat the Daleks and bring you back to life? Well it looks like I didn't absorb all of the energy that was in her. She's still buzzing with it."

"But wouldn't that kill her?"

"No. She doesn't have enough to do her any damage."

"But it can damage you." The Doctor looked round at him.

"In certain…..situations. But not any more, the TARDIS removed all it could."

"But?"

"It's changed her." He squeezed his eyes shut as a familiar pain shot through his head. "Where's that tea?" he hissed, gripping the bed at his side with his free hand.

"What's with the tea?"

"My brain is getting ready to collapse. Tea stops and heals it."

"You are kidding?!"

"Nope."

"Wow you learn something new everyday. Hang on your brain is collapsing?"

The Doctor took a sharp intake of breath to answer his question.

"Rose! Hurry up!" Jack yelled down the corridor. "So how come it affects you and not her."

"I already have some of the Vortex in my head. Argh! Her dose was attracted to mine and combined….." He uttered some expletive Jack had never heard before.

"So in other words you've O.D'd on Time Vortex. Great! You couldn't just keep it in your…" He was cut off as the Doctor yelped again.

"Here." Rose was at his side holding the cup up to his lips.

"Don't touch me," he warned.

"Well you can't hold it; you'll spill it shaking like that. Here, you take the handle I'll hold the bottom."

"You know, I'm starting to think you two are jinxed. Whenever you're in a room together on your own something goes wrong which inevitably leaves the Doc gasping for air." Jack watched their faces with great amusement as they locked eyes over the mug.

The consol started beeping again and the Doctor stepped back towards the bed. "We're not always like this. We're usually running for our lives just like we used too. I think it's your fault Harkness. Bad things happen when you're around."

Rose bit her lip refusing to look at the former time agent, keeping her gaze firmly fixed on the now empty mug she was helping the Doctor hold.

"Oh yeah? How'd you figure?"

"Well your people decided 'I know I'll open the rift', bringing us all here in the first place. You get drunk when clearly I'm in no fit state to be trusted without, oh what's the word….?"

"A straight jacket and manacled to the bed?" Jack offered.

"Nope that's on a Monday. Supervision! That's the word I was looking for! Supervision! And the TARDIS only acts up after you've been fiddling."

Rose looked up and saw the twinkle of amusement in the Doctor's eye as his weary gaze flicked to her and back at Jack.

"Well a girl needs a bit of attention Doc. Not my fault if you can't keep her happy."

"There's attention and then there's physical assault."

"And you've been on the receiving end a lot the last couple of days."

"Your fault."

"Is not." Jack folded his arms across his chest and gave a mock pout.

"Is too."

"Is not."

"It is too Jack Harkness!"

"Fine even if it was you can't be mad at me!"

"And why's that?" he sighed with exaggerated patience a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

"'Cause I'm so darned pretty."

"Jack you think everyone's pretty."

"Not true. You weren't pretty the last time I saw you."

"Ooo below the belt!"

"I wouldn't know I never saw that far down!" the corner of his lips turned up.

"Well if you were a bit nicer to me….. A man likes to be flattered you know?!"

"Ohkaay. Would you two like to be alone?" Rose asked finally, unable to keep silent any longer.

"Don't get me started on you Rose Tyler." Jack arched an eyebrow.

"Me? What did I do?" He pointed a finger at her. 

"I'm thinking things a young girl shouldn't be doing with an older man who has twenty-five percent burns and a head injury."

The Doctor watched something flash across Jack's eyes momentarily. "Missing someone Jack?" he asked softly, desperately trying to keep his eyes open.

Jack gave a small smile. "Not really. I saw them earlier."

"You don't have to stay."

"Yes I do. I said I'd stay until you're 100 and I will. Besides you need to tell Rose."

"Tell me what?" Rose looked from the Doctor to Jack and back again.

"I don't know." The Doctor looked completely confused.

"'bout the Time Vortex that was left behind."

"Oh Rassilon I completely forgot!"

"And you say I don't have to stay!"

The Doctor rubbed his face with his hands before looking at Rose. "Back when I regenerated your memories were really fuzzy, you didn't remember anything between me sending you home and waking up on the TARDIS."

Rose nodded.

"I sort of left out some things. I didn't think they were important and I didn't want you to get upset. Except you did when I regenerated so it probably wouldn't have made any difference." He took her hands in his and stroked the back of them with his thumbs, watching the movement. "You opened the heart of the TARDIS and absorbed the entire Time Vortex, you saved the day, brought Jack back to life, saved me from death by Dalek but the Vortex was killing you, burning you up from the inside. I had to take it away from you and put it back in the TARDIS or I'd lose you. That's when you woke up."

"It was my fault you regenerated," Rose gasped.

The Doctor grasped her hands. "I'd rather regenerate and have you than death by Dalek and never see you again. Anyway, it seems I didn't get every bit of vortex, some stayed behind in your system and that's what went wrong earlier. Thing is that although it's gone and you were never in any danger from the residue it does seem to have changed your genetic make up. Which means I was wrong. The reason you didn't get sucked back through the rift is because you have a genetic link with the TARDIS so the whole of time and space thinks this is where you belong. Only thing is I don't know how it's affected you, the way your body works and it may take time to find out." Rose stood blinking at him for a moment. "You already knew," the Doctor said carefully. "You knew you were different!"

She nodded shyly.

"And you didn't think we might like to know?" Jack asked her.

"There never seemed a right time. He freaked out when I walk through the door then he gets electrocuted and then he gets worse. I mean just when was I supposed to tell anyone?"

"You sat talking to me for hours!"

"Jack," the Doctor growled his warning and Jack clamped his mouth shut. "What's different?"

Rose shrugged. "Nothing obvious just I know I feel different."

"Why didn't you say anything be….before that day?"

"You mean Torchwood? Because I didn't feel it until recently. I thought it was just me." She shrugged.

"Well that's something I guess. We'll have to run some tests to find out exactly what's going on but as long as you feel okay…."

"I do," Rose cut the Doctor off mid sentence. "I just want to relax, have some fun. Ever since I've been back there's been like a shadow looming."

"Your kind of fun seems to get this one into trouble at the moment." Jack told her jerking his thumb towards the Doctor.

Rose knew she was blushing again. "I meant all three of us."

"Well Rose honey you know I'm always up for that but with him in that state today's gona have to be a two person party, unless the Doc wants to play doctors and nurses." Jack purred, leaning beside the Doctor.

The Doctor slid his gaze to Jack rubbing his finger across his bottom lip as if he was thinking about it. Jack couldn't help but watch the digit graze back and forward. The Doctor snapped his head round back to Rose, trying to hide the satisfied smile at silencing Jack. "Film marathon?"

"Read my mind!" She grinned.

"Right then. You choose the film, Jack can get the munchies."

"Well there's a first," Jack said, finally regaining his senses.

"What's that?" Rose asked, helping the Doctor steady himself. 

The Doctor saying the word 'munchies'."

XxXxX


	9. Chapter 9

Rose and Jack were giggling like a pair of teenagers when the Doctor made it to the living room, shirt draped over his shoulder.

  
"Need help dressing Doc?" Jack grinned.

  
The Doctor looked at the pair of the suspiciously. "I might. In a minute. Maybe." He lowered himself on to the sofa next to Rose and began picking at his bandages.

  
"Hey you. Leave them alone!" Jack chided.

  
"They itch."

  
"Good, that means they're healing." He got up from his armchair and crossed to sit beside the Doctor.

  
"That's just something your mum tells you so she doesn't have to put a new plaster on. What it really means is they need changing." He scrunched his nose up as he began to roll the glove down his hand.

  
"Ohkay! Which movie first?" Rose asked jumping up not wanting to see what was underneath his glove.

  
"Anything…..you like." The Doctor hissed.

  
"Doc you really shouldn't be….ooo nasty."

  
"See told you it needed to come off."

  
"Alright smart ass. But here's a question, what are you going to patch it up with?"

  
"Aha! Now, you think I've forgotten that part." He reached into his trouser pocket. "See thought of everything." He grinned pulling out a new set of bandages and a glove.

  
"How did you fit all that in there?"

  
"Time Lord technology. Bigger on the inside," the Doctor said proudly.

  
"Oh yeah?" Jack said with a sleazy tone.

  
Rose rolled her eyes.

  
"Behave Jack," the Doctor told him.

  
"I swear you get worse." Rose turned back to the sofa pressing play on the remote control and stalled as she saw the Doctor's hand.

  
"It's not as bad as it looks."

  
"Good 'cause it looks hideous." Rose scrunched her nose up this time, tentatively stepping closer for a better look. "You gona have to do your arm too?"

  
"Yup." He grimaced as he looked at it.

  
Jack reached behind the Doctor and began to undo the bandage round his shoulder. "You ready for this Doc? It might hurt some."

  
"Some? I'm betting on a lot!" Rose told him. She took the Doctor's hand and crouched in front of him.

  
"Yeah thanks for that guys, lets just get on with it please?"

  
She watched the Doctor's face screw up and his jaw tighten as the bandage was peeled away. "This must be how a Satsuma feels," he said through clenched teeth causing Rose to smile at him.

  
"Well Doc it ain't pretty but it's not as bad as I thought it'd be, considering," Jack said finally. "A couple more days and they can come off permanently." He stood and crossed back over to his armchair as Rose sat back on the sofa, giving them room.

  
The Doctor reached for a jar and began to gently rub its contents on his hand. "So what are we watching anyway?"

  
"Which ever one was closest. Some b-movie horror probably knowing you." Rose grinned as he peered at her over the top of his glasses a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

  
"You think you know me so well Rose Tyler."

  
"That's because I do."

  
"Oh really?"

  
"Yes really."

  
"Uh Rose?" Jack called to her. "This isn't a horror b-movie." He quirked an eyebrow at the Doctor.

  
Looking up Rose's mouth dropped as a half naked woman wearing very lacy underwear rolled over in bed and turned off an alarm clock.

  
"Well Doc you really are a dark horse!" Jack jeered.

  
"You've been watching 'Pretty Woman'?" Rose asked incredulously.

  
"Sometimes," he told her, finding his arm very interesting.

  
She leant forward and pressed a kiss to he cheek and took the jar from his hand. "What is this stuff anyway?" She sniffed the gel.

  
"Aloe Vera and some other plant life from back home."

  
Rose slid herself behind the Doctor and gently began rubbing the gel into his shoulder.

  
"Feel good Doc?" Jack asked watching the Doctor's eyes flutter closed.

  
"Hmm?" The very relaxed sound was all the reply he got and he chuckled to himself.

  
"You want a beer to go with that?"

  
The Doctor's eyes flickered open and he smiled as Jack rolled a can across the floor.

  
"Oh you might wana watch out for the…" Too late. Jack clamped his mouth shut as foam spurted out the top when the Doctor pulled the tab.

  
Rolling his eyes the Doctor lifted the can and licked his way up catching the tickle of beer before licking his fingers.

  
"I see what you mean about the licking Rose." Jack teased.

  
"Hey I've licked two things! Two! You can hardly call it a….what did you say earlier?"

  
"Oral fixation?"

  
"Yeah. Licking two things does not constitute an oral fixation!"

  
"One of them was a wall," Rose pointed out.

  
"Actually it was a door, and the other was blood! And both times, may I remind you resulted in the Earth being saved from alien invasion."

  
"Hey Doc, relax. It wasn't a criticism was it Rose?!"

  
Rose caught the familiar mischievous look in Jack's eye. "Nope, no criticism over here." She reached for the clean dressing and wrapped it round the Doctor's shoulder just the way she'd seen Jack do her first night there.

  
"You know one day he'll give in."

  
"Hmm we'll see." She told him.

  
"I might, but like I've always said…" The Doctor raised his eyebrow, not bothering to finish his sentence.

  
"Not without buying you a drink first." Jack sighed. "Hey does that beer count?"

  
"Nope. You didn't buy it."

  
Rose shifted out from behind the Doctor and settled back against the cushions.

  
"Thank you." He smiled gingerly pulling the glove over his hand.

  
"Want some help with your shirt?"

  
"I think he should leave it off," Jack said almost inaudibly.

  
"Are you ever going to let up today?" the Doctor asked wearily.

  
"Okay okay. Can't blame a guy for trying though." Jack turned his attention back to the t.v.

  
The Doctor chuckled at Jack as Rose crouched in front of him. Her gaze caught his as she tied his shoelaces before she began to button his shirt. The corner of his mouth curved upwards and he winked at her, causing her to giggle. The lower down the buttons got the more the Doctor rested back against the cushions; soon her fingers were brushing his waist band. He took her hands in his and pressed kisses to each before pulling her onto the sofa beside him. She swung her legs over his lap and laid her arm along the back of the sofa, her head resting on his good shoulder as her fingers played absently with his hair.  
The three sat in comfortable silence as one film ended and another began, occasionally laughing and making comments and jokes.

  
Jack looked over at the pair on the sofa and smiled broadly at Rose.

  
"What?"

  
He nodded at the Doctor. He was fast asleep, his glasses slipping down his nose, one hand resting on Rose's ankles the other on her thigh. "Finally he's actually sleeping. No dramas."

  
"Ssh. Don't jinx it." Rose reached up and gently removed his glasses, placing them on the floor under the sofa, out of harms way. The Doctor shifted slightly, his head rolling towards her.

  
"Here." Jack took the blanket from the back of his chair, balled it up and threw it over to her.

  
"You are so lazy. Thank you." She winked, laying it over them and snuggling down further into the sofa.

  
XxXxX

  
The room exploded with a bright white light causing Rose to cover her eyes. As the light dimmed she peeked out and found herself in a place she didn't recognise. The room reminded her of the Tardis control room it had the same organic look but instead of the warm yellow it was a mass of glorious colour like being surrounded by a kaleidoscope, and there in the middle of it was the Doctor, hand's stuffed in pockets, glasses riding low on his nose as he looked at her questioningly.

  
"What are you doing here?" His voice echoed around her.

  
"Where am I?"

  
"You don't know?"

  
Rose shook her head.

  
"So you don't know how you got here?"

  
"No. What is this place?"

  
He gave her a small, sad smile. "Rose Tyler, this is my mind and you shouldn't be in here. Tread carefully as you find your way out, it's a bit frazzled."

  
"What am I doing here?"

  
"You tell me. You're the one in my head."

  
"Am I losing you?"

  
"What a strange thing to say." He tilted his head at her. "You've never lost me. I lost you." He took a step towards her. "Close your eyes and tell me what you see."

  
"You."

  
"Well there you are then. I was never far away and I never will be. Now you must leave. Be gentle." His image faded to nothing leaving her surrounded by doors.

  
"Doctor?" Rose spun around looking for him but she was completely alone. "What the hell is going on?" Tentatively she moved to one of the doors. The sound of children laughing reached her ear as she turned the handle.

  
The view before her took her breath away. It was one of the most beautiful places Rose had ever seen; it was full of colour and life with a burnt orange sky that gave everything a warm amber glow and the trees with silver leaves, and somehow she just knew it was the Doctor's home. She smiled as she watched a small group of children running around laughing, just as children should be, shouting up at a tree. Rose's gaze flew up to the branches where she saw a little boy trying to climb higher into the boughs.

  
"Aww what's the matter. Are you scared? You going to cry for mummy?" One of them teased, picking up a book from the floor and throwing it at him. The other children laughed and did the same before attempting to climb the tree after him.

  
Rose yelled out at them to leave him alone but they paid no attention. She tried to step towards them ready to go over and make them stop but suddenly the door slammed shut blocking her out.

  
XxXxX

  
Jack heard Rose mumble something. Looking over he smiled to himself at how funny they looked, both sat on the sofa brows furrowed as if they were thinking about something. They looked cute until he noticed Rose's eyelids flickering and her eyes rolled back into her head.

  
"Rose?" He sat up a little straighter and watched for a reaction. "Rose honey?" Jack stood and crossed over to her.

  
"Theta," she whispered.

  
"Theta? Who's Theta sweetheart?" He placed his hand on her cheek, trying to rouse her. Looking at the Doctor he saw his fingers twitching. "Doc? Doc wake up, something's wrong." He tried to tap the Doctor's cheek with his other hand but it became stuck, as if it had fused to the Doctor's face. Suddenly a blinding pain hit him for a spilt second then evaporated as he felt himself succumb to darkness.

  
XxXxX

  
"What the…?"

  
Rose whirled round at Jack's voice. "How did you get here?" She ran to hug him.

  
"I was checking on the two of you and then whoosh, I was here. Where exactly is here?"

  
"The Doctor's mind," Rose told him, waiting for him to laugh and tell her it was a dream.

  
"Huh."

  
"That's it? I tell you we're inside the Doctor's mind and all you can say is 'huh'?"

  
"Yeah at this moment that about sums it up." He turned on the spot taking in his surroundings. "So you spoken to the Doc while you've been here?"

  
"Kind of, he told me to tread carefully finding my way out and that I shouldn't be here."

  
"Right. Nice and cryptic then."

  
"Not really. I think he meant it."

  
"Well if he wanted you out so badly why didn't he show you the way?" Jack raised his eyebrows expectantly.

  
"Maybe it's one of these doors." Rose shrugged. "The way out I mean."

  
"Worth a try." He reached for the same door she had.

  
"It's not that one." Stepping up beside him she peered through and saw a different scene. The same skinny little boy from the tree was sat on his windowsill staring outside. The misery and loneliness seemed to pour off him.

  
"Hey kid you ok?" Jack watched the sadness fill the boy's eyes with tear but he didn't respond.

  
"They can't hear us. I tried just now with some kids that were picking on him but they didn't notice me either."  
Jack looked down at her, something flickering in his eyes. "Got it, these are the Doc's memories. They can't react because all this has already happened. They're just replays."

  
"So who's the kid?"

  
He tilted his head and gazed at her, waiting for the penny to drop.

  
"That's the Doctor?"

  
"900 years ago. Everyone had to have a childhood sometime Rose. Even him."

  
"He looks so sad."

  
"Yeah, I'm guessing our Doc wasn't the most popular kid in school. Looks like kids are mean no matter what planet they're from."

  
Rose felt her heart ache as tears fell onto the little boy's cheeks and he began to cry in earnest. Without warning the door slammed shut.

  
"Well that's rude." Jack took a step back and tried to open it again but it didn't budge.

  
"It did that to me. It only lets you see so much before it shuts you out again."

  
"Doc?" he called out walking towards another door and pushing it open.

  
Rose recognised this scene; she'd seen it play out on the Doctor's ceiling. "Jack, shut it. Please?" He turned to see her flinch as a blinding light filled the doorway and an explosion echoed off the walls.

  
"You ok?"

  
"I know how that one ends. The re-run won't make it any better."

  
"Okay."

  
She could see the concern on his face as he pulled the door closed.

"There must be a way out through one of these doors," he mumbled moving from door to door. Familiar scenes appeared behind each, Satellite 5, sword fights, running for their lives, losing Rose at Torchwood Tower. He noticed most of them were unhappy and it hit him just how much the Doctor carried with him. There were a few happy doors, some with people he didn't recognise but he could always tell which one was the Doctor no matter what incarnation he was, he stood out like a sore thumb. "Definitely your best look so far, Doc." Jack smiled. A majority of the happy ones included Rose. Things that seemed ordinary and everyday to other people meant the world to him. Christmas dinner for instance.

  
"That's my mum," Rose said softly, walking up beside him. "His first Christmas as him. Well the new new him, right after the Sycorax invasion."

  
"She's an attractive lady."

  
"Flatterer."

  
"What?! She is! Although what you saw in that idiot I'll never know," he told her looking at Mickey.

  
"You've been talking to the Doctor too much."

  
"Not really. He has a lot of affection for that boy. You can hear it in the way he talks about him. Whatever he thought when he first met him, Mickey proved him wrong for the better. The Doc seems to like it when that happens."

  
There was a shift in the atmosphere and the colours around them started to shimmer.

  
"Well this can't be good."

  
"And that definitely can't be," Rose said as all the colours began to merge and turn bright red. "Jack what's happening?"

  
"I wish I knew! Doc?! Okay Doc we really could use a hand here!"

  
Rose could hear whisperings in her own head; _Ka Faraq Gatri. Bringer of Darkness, Destroyer of Worlds_. The words swirled round and round weighing on her so heavily she wanted to cry.

  
XxXxX


	10. Chapter 10

  
The Doctor began to flail his arms around him pushing against anything and everything, all the forces he couldn't see. His eyes felt like they were glued shut and he could hear Jack and Rose in his head. It was too much, there was too much in his head, he could feel the whole universe moving, every solar system on its journey, he could hear Rose's thoughts and that they were talking to each other but he couldn't pick out one thing from the din it was creating. He was sure he could just about hear his own screams mixed with the rest. He started locking the doors in his mind, every time Jack opened one a whole new mess of sounds and feeling flooded his system and he finally broke.

  
"GET OUT, GET OUT, GET OUT, SHUT UP!" he screamed finally prying his eyes open and shoving against Jack's rigid body and throwing himself off the sofa away from Rose.

  
He heard Jack and Rose both gasp as their minds slammed back into their own bodies. Not the best landing for any of them.  
Rose's eyes snapped open and she looked around her. She spotted the Doctor curled up in a ball, hands protecting his head.

  
"Doctor?" She slid off the sofa and sat next to him, gingerly pulling his hands into her own. "Are you ok?"

  
"I've never had two people in there before, it's never been possible. It was just too much. I could hear everything and nothing. Like being in a crowded room; everyone trying to shout over the music." Pulling himself upright, he rested back against the sofa, his body shivering.

  
"It's okay, it's over now."

  
Jack groaned from his place on the floor. "Okay Doc, what did ya do this time?"

  
"Not me, this was all you two."

  
"How?" Rose asked, feeling slightly affronted.

  
"Well you just can't keep your hands to yourself." He smiled. "I think it's to do with the Vortex. I was trying to sort it out while you were in there but you had to keep opening doors."

  
"Not my fault." Rose said instantly causing the Doctor to smile again softly.

  
"It's the only explanation. You both have some connection with the time vortex. Jack, you were brought back to life by it and as a result appear to be impervious to death and Rose absorbed it to save you and destroy the Daleks. So Rose it looks like you have a super power. You are now slightly telepathic. Just please stay out of my head unless absolutely necessary. That means you too Harkness, no feeling around when you think I'm not looking. And if it is absolutely necessary one at a time."

  
"But how did we get in there in the first place?" Jack sat up.

  
"You must've touched my head."

  
"Well Rose's hand was on the back of your head when I came over to find out what was going on. She mumbled something about 'Theta' and her eyes were rolling in her head. I was trying to wake the pair of you."

  
"How?"

  
"Well I guess…. I stroked the side of Rose's face then I started to tap you on the cheek and my hand got stuck, next thing I know Rose is telling me we're in your mind."

  
"That's what did it. The Time Vortex that's in me all the time was still stirred up, the Vortex in the pair of you was triggered the moment you touched me because I was asleep. When you're awake you have barriers that block things from your mind. When you sleep it's like everything unlocks and comes out to play, that's how you got in."

  
"So if we tried now…?" Rose asked, pulling the blanket down to cover him.

  
"No go, too many barriers."

  
"But Jack wasn't asleep. So how did he get in?"

  
"Anyone else got a thumping headache?" Jack moaned stopping the Doctor from answering.

  
"I'd nod but I'm scared to," Rose told him.

  
"Serves you both right for being nosey," the Doctor told them, with a grin. "Aspirin is in the same drawer as the pain killers you got for me."

  
"That means moving right?"

  
"'Fraid so Jack."

  
"Okay okay. I'm going." He didn't move. "This is me, I'm going." Still he sat there and chuckled to himself. "Oo no, I'm really going, even laughing hurts. You want anything Doc?"

  
"A normal night? Or is it 'day' I've completely lost track of time."

  
"Pain killer?" Jack headed for the door.

  
"Dear God yes!"

  
Rose couldn't help but giggle at the enthusiasm and relief in his voice.

  
Dragging himself onto the sofa the Doctor stretched out and sighed.

  
"Greedy git taking up all the comfy room!"

  
"No one's stopping you," he told her tucking one arm behind his head and stretching his other out to the side, inviting her to take the space beside him.

  
"With my fat bum, I'd never fit there!"

  
"One you're not fat, two I make a great pillow and three don't fish for compliments."

  
"I wasn't and my bum is getting fatter." She pouted as she climbed on the sofa next to him.

  
He rolled his eyes before yelping. "Ow ow ow ow get off, you're crushing me! Please don't hurt me; I'm too foxy to die."

  
"You are so not funny." She poked him in the ribs.

  
"Yeah I am."

  
"No you're not."

  
"Oh trust me. I am."

  
"You are so full of it."

  
"And you like it."

  
"Hmm, may wear a bit thin after a while."

  
"Well if you get bored of me, there's always Jack."

  
"He's lovely but not really my type."

  
"I meant for me!"

  
Rose began to tickle him in protest.

  
"Ow, ow seriously that hurts."

  
"Oops sorry I forgot."

  
"So did I for a while there. Must be getting better." He pressed a kiss to the top of her head.

  
Rose smiled against his chest as she listened to his heartbeats. When she thought about it she supposed it should seem strange to her, even freak her out a little but it didn't, it soothed her instead. She didn't think she'd ever be able to explain it.

  
"Ianto, I told you yesterday; I'll be back when I can." Jack's voice drifted through the open door.

Rose looked up at the Doctor and he put his finger to his lips.

  
"I don't know," Jack's voice hissed "and badgering me about it isn't going to make it any sooner. Right….yes….I know….no I know…..well yeah maybe just a little, I think I'm allowed to be a little pissed about it, don't you?! Well you'll have to cope a little longer won't you?"

  
"Troubles?" the Doctor asked as Jack walked into the room.

  
"Office," Jack replied tossing his phone onto the coffee table.

  
"Need to go back?"

  
"Nope. They can face a while longer without me."

  
"What about you? How long before you face your demons?"

  
Jack regarded the Doctor carefully.

  
"We're not going to be around forever Jack. You can't hide in the TARDIS for the rest of your existence. You have to face them sometime."

  
"I already have."

  
"How long were you up before I showed up?"

  
"Not long. But I made my peace with them."

  
"Did you really, or did you just go through the motions?"

  
"Hey why don't we go with you? I'm dying to see Cardiff's answer to Torchwood," Rose piped up.

  
"Get out of my head!" The Doctor poked her. "Come on. Let's go." He sighed as Rose pulled him to his feet.

  
"What now?"

  
"No time like the present Jack my boy. Besides, I want to meet the one that shot you in the head." He grinned as he strode out the door.

  
XxXxX

  
"So let me get this straight. This is a lift?" Rose asked as she stepped onto a paving slab.

  
"Yup." Jack smiled waiting for the Doctor to step on.

  
"And no one can ever see it?"

  
"Nope."

  
"It wont bite," he assured the Doctor as he saw the hesitation.

  
"No but they might," the Doctor said looking down as if he was staring through the floor at the occupants below.

  
"You really don't trust us do you?"

  
"I trust you, just about. It's the rest of the Torchwood establishment I don't trust."

  
"They won't touch you. Not even a hair. Not while I'm around."

  
"You think that'd be comforting," he muttered, stepping onto the slab, steadying himself as it began to descend "This is just genius," he admitted. "A lift no one notices. Mind you, no one ever notices the TARDIS either." The Doctor grinned looking up at the roof top that proudly displayed his home as it disappeared from view.

  
"Hello Ianto. I trust nothing has changed, the world didn't fall apart in the forty-eight hours I have been gone."

  
"Has it only been that long? Blimey, feels like weeks," the Doctor moaned. "Right lets meet the genii you have working here that thought it would be great to open a big gaping wound in the universe shall we?"

  
"Be nice." Rose tugged on the Doctor's arm.

  
"I'm always nice, until someone does something incredibly stupid. Hello nice to meet you, Ianto is it?"

  
Ianto stood mouth flapping, not knowing what to say as the three trekked by not even breaking their stride.

  
"Hi" the young blond girl said, taking the other strangers hand.

  
"Ah, Jack?" Ianto chased after them after a beat.

  
"Doctor, Rose. This is Torchwood." Jack threw his arms wide a smile returning to his face as he showed his old friends something new.

  
"Jack? You're back!" Gwen ran and flung her arms round him.

  
"I didn't go far."

  
"Are you okay? I've been so worried."

  
Rose stared at the woman holding Jack so tight. She seemed familiar; looking up at the Doctor she could see the recognition in his eyes. "Doctor, don't we know her?"

  
"Gwyneth, your friend in Cardiff when we met Master Dickens."

  
"What's she doing here?"

  
"No idea, the universe is full of weird and wonderful things."

  
"Well you're definitely weird," she sniggered.

  
"Oi, enough of that or I'll send you home Rose Tyler." He winced as soon as he said it, almost not daring to glance down at Rose. "Sorry, bad choice of words."

  
"S'all right." She shrugged as he squeezed her hand. "Hang on, is that…..?" Rose moved over to a glass jar that was perched on a very messy desk. "Doctor, I think I know what happened to your hand that Christmas." She grimaced.

  
The Doctor trotted down the rest of the steps and joined her. "Blimey, that's a little…..weird. I wondered who found that. Hope no one got hurt on the way down."

  
"Only an unlucky pigeon," Jack said moving beside them. A screeched pierced the air as something slapped on the floor. "Oo yeah watch out for guano."

  
The Doctor and Rose looked up. "Pet Pterodactyl, of course why not," the Doctor muttered, giving Rose a playful nudge.

  
"Uh Jack are you going to introduce us?" A male voice came from behind them.

  
"Owen." Jack nodded. "Rose, Doctor this is Gwen Cooper, Owen Harper, Toshiko Sato and Ianto Jones. Guys these are old friends of mine the Doctor and Rose Tyler."

  
"Owen's the shooter right?" Rose whispered to the Doctor as she smiled and nodded hello.

  
"Got to be," he replied, looping his arm around her shoulders. He noticed Owen looking Rose up and down and he didn't like it much, he liked it even less as the look became a leer. "Hello, nice to meet you all although next time, can you not open the rift? It's mightily inconvenient for me and all the other galaxies in the universe. Not to mention it gets people killed." His tone lost it's jollity on the last line as his gaze fell on Owen.

  
"So who exactly are you?" Owen asked, his eyes narrowing as they met the Doctor's.

  
"Oh you know, just a pair of travellers roaming the universe."

  
"And what exactly are you doing here?"

  
"Owen," Jack growled his warning.

  
"We're visiting our old friend," the Doctor told him tightly. "Toshiko isn't it? How are you? I hope that space pig incident didn't frighten you too much."

  
The woman frowned at him. "How do you know about that?"

  
"Because I was there. Leather jacket, northern accent?"

  
"But that's impossible. You can't know about him."

  
"The Slitheen ship crashed in the Thames, taking out Big Ben with it. The pig was dragged from the river and put in cold storage in your labs, only he wasn't dead. He woke up and started running around in a blind panic. The soldiers shot him and killed him. But the pig was a distraction from the real invasion."

  
"You were there!"

  
"I'm him," the Doctor grinned.

  
"How is that possible?"

  
"Same way as his third hand is in that jar," Gwen said reaching for her gun.

  
"Oh come on. I'm not the first alien you've had in here and I'm not going to be the last." The Doctor held up his hands, showing he was unarmed.

  
"Gwen. He's not a danger," Jack told her.

  
"Look we all seem to have got off on the wrong foot," Rose piped up, her grip on the Doctor's waist tightening. "I worked for Torchwood in my universe, we actually my dad ran it. I know what it is you do, the Doctor knows what you do and as long as you don't shoot first like London did then we'll all get along fine."

  
"You want us to trust you?" Ianto asked, finally making his voice heard. "For all we know you could've kidnapped Jack and made him say all these things to fool us."

  
Jack rolled his eyes. For a relatively smart man, Ianto could have the most ridiculous thoughts sometimes but as he looked at him Jack's gaze softened and he thought he'd seen a flicker of jealousy when he'd introduced his friends.

  
"We're the best allies you've got. We can tell you what's coming before it's even a blip on your radar," Rose told him.

  
The Doctor was taking in his surroundings as Rose spoke, feeling incredibly proud of her at this moment. His eyes scanned Jack's desk again, it was cluttered with all sorts of artefacts, he almost laughed out loud when he spied the 3d glasses he'd lost in Torchwood One then his eyes settled on something very familiar that sent a shiver up his spine. Picking it up he realised his hunch was now a full blown panic settling in his chest.

  
Rose felt the Doctor tense under her hand and looked up at him while Jack tried to convince the others he hadn't been brain washed or fallen prey to an alien mind trick. She watched the Doctor's face harden almost instantly and a dark cloud form around him as he slipped something in his pocket. His eyes seemed to burn with an anger she'd rarely seen.  
"Uh, Jack?" The Time Agent didn't hear. "Jack!" he almost yelled above the arguing gaining everyone's attention. "Can I have a word please, in private?" he growled, his eyes burning into Jack's.

  
"S..sure," Jack stuttered; taken aback by the Doctor's sudden anger.

  
The Doctor stalked towards him, spun him by his shoulders and gave him a shove towards the nearest door leaving Rose stunned. "Outside. Now," he growled.

  
"Oi! Who do you think you are? God or something?" Owen called.

  
He whirled back round to look at the group of stunned humans. "Actually I'm the Lord of Time but it's a common mistake. Also known as 'The Bringer of Darkness', 'Destroyer of Worlds', 'The Oncoming Storm'. Take your pick, they all sum me up." He growled daring him to continue turning back to Jack. "Oh and don't bother trying to shoot me, it'll have little effect." He called the last part over his shoulder as the lift rose to street level.

  
"What's that all about?" Gwen looked over at Rose who was watching the men, debating whether to follow.

  
"Bringer of Darkness? Destroyer of Worlds? Who's he trying to impress?" Owen asked, "I mean Jack wouldn't bring someone like that in here would he?" He reached in his pocket and fiddled with his phone.

  
"He brought you in," Rose shot back then instantly felt guilty. "And in answer to your question he's not trying to impress. He is called all those things. You've never heard about the Doctor have you? He's the reason you all have jobs. I take it you all know why Torchwood was set up?" She saw them all nod. "Queen Victoria set it up to protect her world from evil the day after she met a werewolf, and me and the Doctor. We saved her life and her world but she knew we weren't meant to be there. She knew we weren't part of her world and she banished us. The Torchwood in London in this universe was destroyed because they were ripping a hole in the universe so big that it would kill this world. They ignored the Doctor at first because he's the enemy and it cost them, and me and the Doctor, we all lost something that day because Torchwood knew better. The Doctor saved the universe from being converted into Cybermen and he suffered for it. Maybe one day Jack will tell you all the fantastic things we did and all the adventures we had and how the Doctor got those names saving galaxies and universes. Jack wasn't always hard; when he was with us he was the life and soul."

  
"So why didn't he stay?" Toshiko asked.

  
"It's a long story but in the end we all got separated and as far as we knew it would be impossible to get back together until you lot opened the rift and gave the Doctor a heart attack, oh which by the way I have to thank you for 'cause I'd be stuck in the other universe if you hadn't." Rose glanced back at the lift. "Nope, no good, I'm going to have to follow."

  
"Do you think that's wise?"

  
"The Doctor always tells me to never wander off. 'Rule one' he says 'never wander off'. I never listen." She smiled tightly and got on the lift.

  
"Oh no you don't. Not without me. I'm going to check on Jack." Owen trotted after her.

  
"I really wouldn't. If the Doctor sees you…..well I don't know what he'd do but he really doesn't like you and you don't wana cross the Doctor in a bad mood."

  
"How can he not like me? He doesn't know me."

  
"He knows you opened the rift and he knows you killed Jack to do it. That's enough for him. It's enough for most people."

  
XxXxX

  
"How the hell did you get hold of this? You do know what this is?!"

  
"A piece of coral?" Jack suggested.

  
"Don't joke me around."

  
"I think you mean 'jerk me around'"

  
"Jack I am not in the mood. Where did you get this and just what were you planning on doing with it?"

  
"I don't know I just like watching it grow. And I took it from the TARDIS."

  
"You defaced my ship? You sat under the control panel and sat fiddling day in day out creating havoc and all the time you were stealing from me? From her!"

  
"Doc, I'm sorry I just…."

  
"What? Wanted to see if it could be done? Do you know how dangerous this could be if it fell into the wrong hands? Rose, get off the lift I know you're there." He held his hand out to the empty space beside them.

  
Jack was thrown by the sudden change in the Doctor's tone, it became softer but the softness didn't reach his eyes.

  
"What's going on?" Rose asked, her eyes flicking between the two men, the Doctor was practically vibrating with unaired rage and Jack looked the tiniest bit scared.

  
"Oh nothing, just Jack being a complete idiot, not to mention a vandal and a thief and to top it all off didn't even think of the consequences."

  
"Doctor, calm down. It can't be that bad can it?" Rose rubbed his knuckles with her thumb, looking at the piece of coral in his other hand. "What is that?"

  
"That is part of my ship, Rose." His eyes never left Jack's. "Jack here stole it while still on my ship those few years ago and decided he wanted to grow a TARDIS."

  
"And that's bad?"

  
"If it falls into the wrong hands, the end of everything as we know it."

  
"That's a tad melodramatic don't ya think?" Jack asked hopefully.

  
"Oh yeah because having a ship that travels in space and time would be of no consequence to anyone who wanted to, say, change history, stop the earth being formed? Or stop me from saving your backsides so that you all become a slave race, or even better how about create a paradox or a rip in time that eats and eats and eats like a black hole until there's nothing left." His voice grew louder and louder with each possibility.

  
"Wow, not even a chance that you're overreacting then," Rose questioned.

  
"Not the slightest." His eyes narrowed as they burnt even harder into the Time Agent's.

  
"Wait he stole it from the TARDIS? How?"

  
"Bit like taking the badge off a car. A little bit of manipulation and you can break a bit off. He took it from under the control panel."

  
"Is that why she's been playing up so much?"

  
"Could be."

  
"Doc, I'm sorry. I don't know what to say. I thought maybe I could use it to find you."

  
_Theta, there's no harm done really is there?_

He heard Rose's voice in his head as she pressed herself into his side.

  
"Fine," he sighed with exaggerated patience. "I suppose the fact someone will actually have to wait another 500 years for it to develop enough for carving means there's a safety net. Just, don't do it again. Go on, get back inside." With a flick of his wrist he turned and sat on a bench and rested his head in his hands.

  
Jack looked at Rose. "Go on. I think he just needs some time. It all seems to be getting to him. I wouldn't take it personally," she told him, offering a small smile before going to the Doctor.

  
Jack took one last look before stepping onto the lift and disappearing.

  
"You ok?" Rose sat down on the bench and rested her hand on his arm.

  
"Why'd you call me Theta?" He asked looking up at her.

  
"I… I don't know."

  
"That was my nickname at college. Theta Sigma." His voice sounded far away as he looked back down at the pavement beneath his feet.

  
"What's wrong?"

  
"What makes you think anything is wrong?"

  
Rose raised her eyebrow at him and glared.

  
"Right. There's just a whole lot of…things running round in my head. When Jack was opening all those doors it was too much. There were too many memories loose at the same time and then I find this on his desk." He held out the TARDIS cutting to her. "It just stirred everything even more. I miss my home Rose. I've lost so much, all of it my own doing. Even you."

  
"How was that your fault?"

  
"I should've left you at home with Mickey in the first place. But no, I had to come back and practically beg you to come with me."

  
"I didn't take much persuading. I wanted to come, even when I said I should stay with Mickey, I knew I wanted to be with you. The only thing I would change if I could would be that I lost a year of my life with you and I never want to do that again."

  
The Doctor regarded her for a moment and leaned in to kiss her. A thunderous sound filled the air and a furious wind picked up.

  
"Hold it right there! Put your hands in the air!" A voice sounded over a loudspeaker.

  
XxXxX


	11. Chapter 11

"Doctor? What's going on?" Rose shouted over the roar of the helicopter overhead.

"I have no idea but they have big guns so I suggest doing as they say." He nodded to the snipers stationed on the roofs surrounded the Millennium Centre

"On your feet!" The disembodied voice demanded. The pair stood with their hands up.

The Doctor looked over to the TARDIS and saw it too was surrounded by troops all in black.

"Someone's coming over," Rose hissed.

"Doctor. You will come with us," one of the troops said while the other tugged roughly on his arms, pulling them behind his back and handcuffing him.

"And who exactly is 'us'?" he retorted.

"Torchwood, London unit."

"Look, I'm really sorry about the offices but it really wasn't my fault."

"You will speak no further." He nodded to his colleague and they yanked him towards a large armoured truck.

"Theta!" Rose yelled after him, panic plain in her voice.

"Go to him." He looked at her pointedly over his shoulder and she nodded, tears rolling down her cheeks. She stood and watched him being bundled roughly into the back of the truck and the rest of the troops disappear as quickly as they arrived before she turned towards Torchwood tower.

"What the hell was all that? Where's the Doctor?" Jack appeared from nowhere.

"They took him," Rose gulped.

"Who?"

"Torchwood. They swooped in and took him. They said they were from London."

Jack's face hardened as she grabbed her hand and pulled her back to the lift.

XxXxX

"Jack, how can they be from London? London was destroyed."

"They recently got up and running again. I've been avoiding communications with them. They don't really like our way of doing things. They like to get their information anyway they can."

"Are they going to hurt him?" Rose looked up at him, eyes wide and full of fear and tears.

"Who was it?" Jack demanded, striding to the middle of the basement, fury seeping from every pore. "Who called London?"

"What are you talking about?" Gwen asked; taking a step back as his gaze flew to her.

"You all know London has been on alert for the Doc ever since it re-opened two months ago and one of you called them. I want to know who and I want to know right now!"

"Jack, calm down. I'm sure he's going to be fine," Ianto told him. He'd only ever seen Jack that angry once before and it was aimed at him. Jack could and would kill with that rage he was sure.

"He's an alien with superior knowledge and capabilities. He can control and change time and space. You really think they're just going to pat him on the back and let him go? Now who was it or am I going to have to scan all of you to find the traitor?" His gaze flew from face to face. Then without warning he launched himself at Owen, pinning the man's head to the desk behind him with incredible force. "You know, Owen," Jack growled in his ear, "with the right amount of pressure in just the right place a human skull pops like a watermelon. It's pretty messy but highly satisfying. Now what did you gain by shopping the good Doctor? And think hard" he slammed Owen's head into the desk, "about your answer."

"It wasn't me." A pitiful voice reached Jack's ear. He slammed his head again.

"Jack!" Gwen's voice cut through the stunned silence of the others.

"Wrong answer! You keep asking and trying to dig into who I really am dontcha' Owen? Think on this; I used to torture people for a living, and they always cracked, sometimes a little too hard. So I'm going to ask you one last time. What did you have to gain?" He tugged on Owen's hair, snapping his head up causing him to cry out.

"Jack stop it, please. The Doctor wouldn't want this," Rose pleaded, stepping closer.

"Not until he talks. One last chance Harper."

"I didn't get anything. He's dangerous and they were already here."

Jack shoved him further across the desk and stepped back. "Start talking."

"They were already here. They've been here ever since you disappeared. They tracked the TARDIS and sent out a global."

"Which you responded to," Jack sneered. "How long did you give it before you called them, had we even set foot through the front door or did you just spot the TARDIS and think 'what the hell'?"

"When he dragged you off outside. I thought he was going to kill you!"

"Oh so you were doing me a favour? Well that makes it all better. You couldn't kill me by shooting me in the head you moron, do you really think an unarmed man is a threat?"

"He's an alien he could do anything!"

"Tell me is your death wish still running? 'Cause right now you are so close to fulfilling it!" Jack growled. "What the hell were you thinking? How many lives do you have to upset or even end before you're done?! Were you left unsatisfied when I got back up is that it? Now you're trying to earn extra points by killing a Time Lord in your little self destructive game?" He glared at Owen.

"Hey! He was the one who described himself as the Destroyer of Worlds. In my book that makes him a risk."

"And of course you're never wrong are you Owen?!"

"'Rule one about aliens; always assume they bite.' Your words, Jack, said it to every one of us."

"Jack, please. We haven't got time. He weakens quick enough as it is." Rose pleaded, taking Jack's hand.

"This is not finished!" Jack told Owen, with more menace than anyone thought possible. "If you're very lucky I might just resort to sacking you again, not killing you. Now Rose, Gwen and I are going after the Doc and we are bringing him home. Tosh you stay here with laughing boy, we might need you and Ianto on the computers to create a distraction. Don't even think of making any phone calls to anyone. All comms come to me or Rose." He pointed at Owen. "You; don't even think about trying to mess this up." The promise of violence sparkled in his eyes. "Tosh, Ianto I'm counting on you to watch him. Any more stunts and you shoot him on sight, if you have to kill him then fine. Do NOT let him out of your sight. He eats here, he sleeps here, he shits here. He talks to no one about anything he stays in that chair in full view. You do not take breaks together. He eats whatever is left."

"Jack come on, that's taking it a bit far don't you think?" Ianto asked.

"He's already killed once with little hesitation and he's just sent my friend off as a prisoner of war. So no, I think I'm being pretty reasonable."

Rose watched Toshiko's eyes widen at Jack words.

"A prisoner of war?"

"Yes. He is their enemy as far as they are concerned. He has the answers to almost everything in the universe in his head and they know it. You really think they're just going to give him tea and biscuits? Get on the interface, find out everything you can. Find out exactly what they need him for." He stalked over to a cabinet and pulled out an array of weapons. "You ever fired one of these?" he asked passing a gun to Rose.

"I worked for Torchwood, remember?" she answered.

"Right." He nodded, went to the safe and emptied everything into a duffle bag. "Gwen, when you're ready." Jack took one last look at Ianto who nodded, telling him everything would be fine before leading Rose to the street. Sighing as she passed Owen, Gwen ran to catch up with the Captain and Rose.

XxXxX

A deathly silence had fallen on the car as Jack sped down the motorway.

"We'll get him back Rose. I promise we'll get him back," he said finally as he watched her chew her lip out the corner of his eye. "You know the Doc, he'll keeping them talking for hours before they get anywhere near him. And by that time we'll be in and out with the Doc in hand."

"You keep your hands to yourself Jack Harkness!" Rose quipped as a small smile touched her lips. She took a deep breath as Jack chuckled, trying to steady her bottom lip as it began to quiver. "What if we don't get there in time? What will they do to him?"

"Rose…"

"Please Jack. I have to know what we're up against. I saw the way Toshiko looked at you when you said he was a prisoner of war."

"She just knows my experiences Rose. It's unlikely Doc will suffer the same."

"But he will suffer wont he? Prisoners of war always do."

"Not…..always."

"Jack…"

He sighed and glanced at Gwen in the rear-view mirror. "I was young and stupid and thought war was a game. I convinced my best friend to join the fight telling him it would be some great adventure. We were captured," He paused looking up again at Gwen; he saw the tension in her face, the dread of what he might say next. "and he was tortured to death and they made me watch. After that they let me go."

"Oh." Rose huddled further into her car seat then shrieked as something dug into her side. Reaching into her jacket pocket her fingers curved round a long metal object. "Jack have you been in my jacket?" she asked not daring to pull out what was inside in case it was a joke Jack had tried to play on her before everything went wrong.

"No. Why what's up?"

Rose watched his face as he glanced over at her then back at the road. Slowly she withdrew her hand and her breath caught. "Jack." She held up the items in the fading evening light. "He never leaves these behind."

"Now hang on Rose, we don't know it's a bad sign. What does the psychic paper say?"

"Nothing, it's blank."

"Close it then try again."

"It's Theta! He's still alive. They bundled him onto a helicopter, he's already in London."

"Who's Theta?" Gwen asked sliding forward in her seat.

"Oh, Theta was the Doctor's nickname when he was younger. I really should stop calling him that; I just can't seem to stop now." Rose told her.

"'Reach out to me.' What does that mean?"

"I don't know." Rose sighed. _'Doctor, I wish you were here. I wish we were back on the TARDIS safe and snug or at least in trouble together.'_

_'I know what you mean.'_ The Doctor's voice sounded in her head. _'Dangers always more fun when you have someone to share it with. Although nothing about this place is fun.'_

"Doctor?!" Rose sat up in her seat. Jack looked over at her, a sparkle of hope in his eyes.

_'In your head, Rose. Think things instead of saying them.'_ The Doctor told her. _'Are you ok?'_

_'For now. I won't be able to keep this up for long, my head's already pounding. Did you find the sonic screwdriver?'_

_'Yes. But why did you put it in my pocket?'_

_'So they can't steal it. When you get here we can call the TARDIS to pick us up and we can disappear somewhere more friendly.'_

_'What if I can't get to you?'_

The Doctor heard the tears in her voice. ' _You will, you've got Captain Jack with you. Oi! Do you mind?!'_

_'What?'_

_'Sorry some overly enthusiastic hands are searching my pockets; which is exactly why I put it and the psychic paper in your pocket when they arrived. Use it to fake I.D. Damn!'_

_'What now?'_

_'I'm in the basement and headed to a cell. Rose, promise you'll be careful. Don't do anything stupid; if it's too dangerous don't do it. Look after yourselves first, keep yourselves safe.'_ There was a pause _. 'I love you Rose Tyler.'_

And with that she felt him retreat from her mind. "I love you too." She sighed aloud.

"What did he say? Is he okay?" Jack asked.

"Who? What's going on?" Gwen looked from Jack to Rose.

"The Doc is telepathic and thanks to an unusual incident with the Time Vortex so is Rose. That must be what he meant by reaching out to him, you have to create a connection to communicate. What did he say?"

"He put the paper and screwdriver in my pocket for safe keeping. The paper's to use as I.D. They were searching his pockets and putting him in a cell. That's when I lost the connection. He sounded so far away and he said his head was beginning to hurt again. What if that's not concussion? What if that's his brain collapsing again?"

"If his brain was dying he wouldn't have strained it getting through to you would he? Rose, just try to relax. We've got about an hour and a half left before we're anywhere near London."

"Okay, but we better stop to get some tea on the way just in case."

XxXxX

The Doctor took in his surroundings and shivered. They'd taken his coat and suit jacket but the indignity of it was they'd taken his shoe laces too so he had to shuffle around his cell like an old man with slippers three times too big. The pocket search had been comical; they kept delving in and pulling out one weird and wonderful thing after another. Although it was when they pulled out a golf umbrella that they decided to just take his coat with the never ending pockets away. He'd protested most of all when they'd taken his chocolate buttons and his MP3 player. In the end he was stripped to his shirt sleeves and trousers and basically thrown in the cell. He knew exactly where he was; he was back in Canary Wharf, in the basement in fact. The building itself made him feel sick to his stomach and the wait for their next move wasn't helping. Unearthly screeches came from all around, confirming his fears that he wasn't the only alien in the building. Pulling the blanket off the cot he wrapped it round himself as he sat down and closed his eyes against the monster of a headache that was currently launching a mass assault. He heard a heavy door open and footsteps march towards his cell. "Show time," the Doctor muttered as the door swung open.

XxXxX


	12. Chapter 12

_'Rose. I'm on the move.'_

_'Where too?'_

_'No idea but it can't be far.'_

_'Why?'_

_'They haven't given me back my shoelaces.'_ The usual lightness of tone that would accompany a comment like that was horribly absent and Rose felt a sense of dread wash over her.

_'We're coming, just hold on. We're coming.'_

_'I don't think I have a choice either way.'_

She felt him break the connection. "We need to hurry, they're moving him. It didn't sound good."

Jack pressed the accelerator closer to the floor.

"Easy Jack. Getting stopped or killed isn't going to help us any," Gwen cautioned.

"And playing it safe isn't helping him." _'Doc, what's going on?!'_ his mind yelled not expecting an answer.

_'Not so loud! I've already got a headache.'_

_'You can hear me?'_

_'No, I'm a figment of your imagaination.'_

_'But how?'_

_'Same way Rose can. Time vortex. Don't let on you're hearing me. I'm trying to keep Rose at arms length.'_

_'Why? What's happening?'_

_'I'm not sure but I can guarantee I'm not going to like it.'_

_'What makes you say that?'_

_'Because neither you nor Rose is in the room and there's a big metal table with leather straps attached.'_

_'That doesn't sound good.'_

_'Ah, Jack not to worry you any more but could you possibly hurry if it's not too much trouble? I'm losing my shirt here. Literally.'_

_'You just hold on.'_

_'That's what Rose said. And like I said; I don't think I have a choice in it.'_

Jack heard the Doctor yell out and the connection died. "Shit," he cursed under his breath and flattened the accelerator to the floor. "Ianto, any word on what they want him for?...well keep looking, things just got darker."

"Earlier you said something about him getting weaker. What did you mean? Does he need something to keep him alive?" Gwen asked finally. She'd sat silent for a while listening to what was going on, trying to understand more about who these people were and who Jack was for that matter. He was still a complete mystery to all of them.

"Nothing that glamorous. He got electrocuted, fell and hit his head on a pillar," Jack told her.

"So he's got concussion?"

"Among other things."

"Such as?..."

Jack looked at Rose, not more how much he should say, she shrugged. "She's your friend Jack. Do you trust her?"

"As much as I trust anyone. I trusted Susie and she shot me and killed three people the first time and Gwen and her own father the second time, I trusted Ianto, he hid a Cyberwoman in my basement and I trusted Owen, well you know how that one's worked out. Why do they all aim for the head?"

"You have to trust someone sometime Jack."

"I trust you and the Doctor," He said quietly.

"We're not always going to be here. Sometimes you have to take a leap of faith."

"Is that what you do?"

"Every day. Every time I opened my front door and went to work. I took that leap that the day wouldn't kill me. That one day he'd find a way. If you don't you might as well give up all together." Rose offered him a sad smile.

XxXxX

No one spoke to the Doctor as they stripped him of his shirt and trousers which was lucky as he was talking to Jack in his head. They marched him to the metal table and for once he was at a loss for words; no witty remarks, no light-hearted banter to show them he wasn't scared. All he could do was brace himself as they injected him. His blood ran cold as his head pounded harder and he yelled out in pain, his connection with Jack broke and now he was completely alone. Panic was beginning to settle in as he wondered what they were planning to do and what they'd just injected him with. The Doctor felt hands lift him from the floor and place him onto the ice cold table, strapping him down as he tried to resist. Whatever it was floating in his system was weakening him even more than his concussion already had and then he knew no more.

XxXxX

"Jack?" Ianto's voice came through Jack's earpiece.

"What have you got?"

"You're not going to like it."

"No surprises there. What is it?"

"Owen was telling the truth. Torchwood was scanning the rift from the moment it opened, looking for any change in frequencies. The Doctor's ship created a huge flux in energy as it landed after the Rift closed. They were just waiting on a confirmed sighting."

"Which Owen gave them."

"Well, yes."

"So what's their plan?"

"It seems the new leader of the London branch wants to know the…ins and outs of your friend as it were. Knowing he can save the planet isn't enough they want to know everything."

"And when you say the 'ins and out's?"

"We've been hacking into the emails. They've called in all the big names. Pharmaceuticals, biology specialists…"

"Ok I get it, the 'ins and outs' literally. Shit. He said as much earlier."

"You've spoken to him?"

"Telepathic links but it was broken at the crucial moment."

"Jack, if you stand any chance of getting him back in one piece you need to move like his life depends on it."

"Yeah, Ianto I get the message. Question. Why didn't they take Rose?"

"Rose is still dead according to the files. Died in the Battle of Canary Wharf. They couldn't be sure the girl he was with was actually travelling with him; they had no information on her and they couldn't risk someone missing her so they left her behind. Who's going to believe a teenager running around shouting that the men in black swooped in and took someone in broad daylight?"

"I see your point. But why didn't they recognise her?"

"I suppose they haven't checked their files closely enough, they've only been operating for a short time and there are literally millions of files. Don't forget they're all new recruits, hardly anyone survived that battle and those that did…" His voice trailed off as he thought of Lisa. "Jack, be careful. We want you back in one piece. I want you back in one piece."

Jack looked up at Gwen. "You get any of that?" She nodded

"When are we going to get there?"

"The way Jack's driving about 1955, if he hasn't already broken the time barrier!" Rose gripped the dashboard and Gwen couldn't help but laugh.

"Well he's no Marty McFly, but he has travelled in time!"

Jack and Rose exchanged glances and laughed too. "Okay don't knock my driving, it's got us here in half the time! Ianto?... Where are they holding him?"

"Canary Wharf."

"Of course; 'separate from the government, outside the police, beyond the united nations' but highly unimaginative in their restructuring."

"Guess they stick with what works. After all by the sounds of things we're the only ones who know they're there,"Rose suggested.

"Hmm, maybe."

'Doc? Doc? Can you hear me?' Nothing. No response at all. _'Doctor I don't know if you can hear me but we're almost there.'_ Suddenly an almighty scream resounded in his head.

"Jack!" Rose's voice trembled, she'd heard it too.

"Gwen, we're going to need those seats down in the back to lay him on."

"What? Why?"

"We just heard him scream."

XxXxX

The blackness was clearing. As he struggled to open his eyes a blinding light made them burn.

"Welcome back," a distant voice told him. "You are a fascinating specimen, Doctor. Two hearts, respiratory bypass and your brain activity is immeasurable. Very impressive."

His chest hurt, but it wasn't the burning sensation he'd been having since his encounter with the Control panel this was new and sharp.

"I aim to please," he croaked squinting to focus on his captors, they all looked surprisingly normal, typical scientists in their white coats but none of them wore masks as they always seem to do in the movies. He lowered his gaze to his chest. "You've been playing operation," he stated drowsily, being careful not to give any kind of reaction.

"Well x-ray machines only show you so much. It doesn't beat seeing the real thing."

It was a female voice he noted but he still couldn't make out any features from the distance she was standing at.

"So you just open me up and close me again?"

"That's the idea. We want to keep you alive as long as possible so we can learn everything about you."

"That'll take centuries." He flexed the muscles in his arms and legs, testing how much movement he had but found they were strapped so tightly he barely had any circulation in them.

"Well not really, you see what we really want to know is" She moved closer and closer until she was almost whispering in his ear, "how your ship works."

The Doctor laughed. "Do you really think I'm going to give up my ship that easily?"

"Oh we already have your ship. The big blue police box. It's rather hard to miss. We want to know how to get inside."

"I'm sure you do," he chuckled.

"This isn't a game Doctor. We'll find out eventually, so you might as well save us and yourself the trouble."

"You're going to kill me either way so what's the real benefit of telling?" He suddenly regretted asking as he heard the distinct sound of a generator powering up. "You have got to be kidding me." Hearing Jack in his head, telling him they were near by, the Doctor opened up a connection to respond but instead he screamed.

XxXxX


	13. Chapter 13

"Ianto, Tosh how many guards are we looking at?"

  
"Just a second..." Ianto's voice came through the earpiece.

  
"Where's Tosh? Everything okay?"

  
"Uh, yes why?"

  
"I haven't spoken to her since we left, it's always been you. Not that I'm complaining but she hasn't left you on your own with Harper has she?"

  
"No, I'm not on my own with him."

  
"Ianto you are the worst liar."

  
"There appears to be two stationed on every entrance and exit. Four exit points if you don't count fire doors, but they're alarmed."

  
"Great. Three of us against at least eight guards on doors and who knows how many more inside," Rose moaned.

  
"Actually there will be five of you in about ten seconds," Ianto told them.

  
"Enemy?"

  
'Depends on if you're still mad or not.' Owen said over the ear piece.

  
"I told you to stay in Cardiff." Jack growled.

  
"And we thought you might need more help. If they've got your friend and you're sure they're not going to be friendly in nature then I figured you might need medical. And that's me. Of course I could always turn round and take me and Tosh home."

  
"Fine, you might as well make your self useful. Tosh, everything ok?"

  
"Everything's fine." Tosh said opening the door and slipping into the backseat beside Gwen with Owen.

  
Jack and Rose twisted round to look at them.

  
"Hi." Owen smiled and winked at Rose and Jack resisted the urge to punch his face in right then and there.

  
"Tosh I need you to stay in one of the cars out of sight, keep scanning the building keeping track of us and all potential dangers. The rest of us will stick together; it might take all of us to get him out of there. No wandering off, no heroics."

  
"You sound like him." Rose told Jack softly.

  
"He's a smart guy, you should listen to him." Jack winked at her. "We all go in and we all come out with one extra."

  
"I might be able to help there." Rose held up the sonic screwdriver.

  
"What the hell is that?" Owen stared at it.

  
"It's one of the Doctor's tools. He said we can call the TARDIS to us."

  
"That is brilliant. No carrying anyone!" Jack exclaimed.

  
"One problem. We have two cars here. If they're left and spotted they'll come straight to Cardiff demanding answers." Gwen pointed out.

  
"Well I'll be out here, I can get one out of the way." Tosh said.

  
"Gwen you're gona have to drive the other back." Owen told her.

  
"Why me?"

  
"Because the Doc knows me and Rose and judging by earlier sounds we're going to need Owen on that ship. Much as I hate to say it right now, Owen is right. We'll meet you back at Torchwood."

  
"It's going to take me hours to get there."

  
"And we have a Time machine, we'll just skip those three hours after you leave pick you all up and float, that way we'll all get there before London and they'll be no proof we were ever there. Oh Tosh? We're gona need you to scramble video surveillance."

  
"Way ahead of you. I've already set up a 'power malfunction.' With all the re-building going on they shouldn't suspect until it's too late."

  
"Tosh you are a genius." Jack gave her one of his most dazzling smiles.

  
"Right I've been monitoring the shift patterns over the last few hours. From what I can gather they still do things the old fashioned way. There are no staggered shifts; they all change at the same time."

  
"And they call themselves security!" Owen scowled.

  
"Hey this means good things for us, don't knock it!" Jack shushed him.

  
"And my estimates make change over time due in about five minutes; that is the weakest point in the whole system."

  
"Fantastic. So which entrance?" Rose asked her heart beginning to pound, anxious to get her Doctor back.

  
"Over the wall and in through the basement window. It used to be an underground car park." Tosh told her. "It has the least security because there's little kept down there. Most of the building is still deserted."

  
"Taking it they're going with the theory people will either go in on ground level or have to work their way up so they'll be spotted before they get anywhere. Right. Ladies and gentlemen we have a very important mission. Not only is the Doc our friend, other than me he's all Rose has got in this universe and he is the last of the Time Lords, without his protection from invasion we'd have been slaves long ago so we owe it to him to get him out alive. But like I said; no heroics. Everyone tooled up?"

  
Gwen, Rose and Owen produced their guns.

  
"Lets do it."

  
XxXxX

  
"Who are you?" The Doctor gasped.

  
"Oh we've never met. I'm Elizabeth. Although you did meet my sister last time you were here. You killed her. Yvonne Hartman?"

  
"I didn't kill her. She was upgraded it wasn't my fault."

  
"But you didn't save her did you?" The woman slammed her hand on the table.

  
"I wish I could save everyone but I can't. It never works that way."

  
"Oh? The great and powerful Doctor can't do the impossible!"

  
"There are something's that just are impossible. It wasn't even a choice I had. They took her; even if I'd jumped in front of them they'd have just killed me and carried on. I had two universes to save."

  
The woman laughed. "Doesn't make any difference, you are here to stay. You've got no one to worry about you any more. Your Miss Tyler is dead."

  
The Doctor's hearts froze, was she talking about the battle or had something happened to Rose? Something must've registered in his eyes as the look on Elizabeth's face softened ever so slightly.

  
"You loved her. How is that possible? An alien falling for a human."

  
"Takes a special kind of human."

  
"Well at least you know what loss feels like." She nodded to her accomplice.

  
"More than you knooo…" His sentence finished with another scream. He couldn't cope with any more. He felt his body shutting down against the electricity that they were pumping through him from head to toe. The metal table helped to conduct the flow to every part of him. He was vaguely aware of some kind of commotion as the lights failed and the voltage stopped. There were just a few short sparks left that danced around but instead of feeling relief, he just closed his eyes and thought of Rose, wanting to see something good of this world before his end.

  
XxXxX

  
"Good old Tosh. Power failure right on time." Jack reached up to help Rose down from the window but Owen got there first.  
"Last time he said he was in the basement but they moved him. They can't have taken him far." Rose reasoned extracting herself from Owen's grip.

  
"What makes you say that?" Owen brushed himself down and gripped his gun tighter.

  
"They didn't give him back his shoelaces. And that's his coat and jacket!" She ran over to a pile of clothes thrown haphazardly onto a metal table, holding up his suit jacket.

  
"Here," Jack threw over a backpack. "We might need them later."

  
Rose stuffed the Doctor's clothes into the bag and looked around her. "This place gives me the creeps." She shuddered.

  
"It's not that bad." Owen said peering into one of the cell windows. "Then again." He took a deep breath as he looked away.

"That's definitely not comforting."

  
"What isn't?" Jack peered through the same window. There sat a very dishevelled looking Weevil. "He looks like he hasn't been fed for a long time."

  
"At least we look after our prisoners." Gwen said; disgust clear in her voice.

  
"They're not prisoners. We'll release them back home as soon as we find a safe way to do it." Jack told them. "This isn't finding the Doctor. Come on; let's follow the yellow brick road."

  
XxXxX

  
The four crept along the passageways, peering through every window and every door looking for any signs of trouble or the Doctor. The building seemed surprisingly empty, there was hardly a sound that echoed down the halls except the muffled footsteps of Jack and his crew.

  
"Where is everyone?" Gwen whispered, keeping an eye on the hallway the stretched out behind them, gun gripped tightly.

  
"Must still be recruiting." Owen shrugged.

  
"Or maybe they're not meant to be running at all." Jack muttered looking through the nearest window. The filing cabinet drawers were open and there were folders and sheets of paper everywhere, as if someone had thrown them across the room until they found what they were looking for. "Something doesn't smell right. If you're trying to restart a big organisation why would you launch into something this big with almost no staff? Why let everything fall into such a bad state?"

  
"And why not let the other branches know when the idea first came up rather than emailing when it was allegedly up and running?" Owen asked.

  
"Who decides what happens to each Torchwood?" Rose enquired.

  
"The head of that branch."

  
"So who's the head of this one? Last time I was here the head of London was 'upgraded'."

  
The party stopped in their tracks and looked at one another.

  
Jack sighed, "Tosh? Ianto? Here's a little puzzle for you, first one to answer gets a cookie. Who's head of Torchwood in London?" There was a long pause as they all held their breath waiting for a reply.

  
"No mention on the emails." Ianto called.

  
"And nothing in the online files." Tosh added.

  
"Put those together and what have we got?" Jack looked round at the others expectantly.

  
"Unofficial re-opening." Owen said.

  
"Bingo! We've got ourselves a rogue Torchwood, who aren't above the law."

  
"The Doctor knows." Rose breathed.

  
"What?"

  
"The Doctor knows. He knows they aren't real. When we were here before they told us that the psychic paper would work on the locks but not on the staff. They'd had a basic level of psychic training. The Doctor knows or he wouldn't have told me to use the paper."

  
"So we don't have to worry about getting into trouble with another branch. Because they're not another branch?" Gwen asked.

  
"Explains why they didn't recognise our girl here, they were too interested in the Doctor himself and they don't know their way around the files. Tosh? We need to cut off all access they have to the files, wipe anything they've saved."

  
"No problem."

  
"What about the hard copies?" Gwen asked.

  
"Well we needed a distraction," Owen pointed out, "I say we torch Torchwood."

  
"We can't just set fire to the place, can we?" Rose looked up at Jack.

  
He looked from Rose to Owen and Gwen. "Tosh, any alien life nearby other than the Weevil downstairs?"

  
"About four hundred yards east of you there's something giving off odd signals but I can't determine what it is."

  
"We do nothing until we've got the Doctor. When that happens we'll decide what to do about this place." He told them.

  
Rose liked the way he used the word 'when'. It made her feel like they really would find him even though part of her was sure it was too late.

  
They heard footsteps pounding on the floor that seemed to be heading towards them.

  
Jack fumbled with the nearest door handle and ushered them all through, ducking out of sight as some army types thundered passed as two took up the rear, strolling along with no obvious hurry to join the crisis.

  
"Damn fool," one of them said "he knows that thing's dangerous. What the hell did he go in the cage with it for?!"

  
"Dunno we were told it needed to be secured in the basement. With the power failing we've only got generators and Miss Hartman is draining most of that. Muppet must've gone into check the cage instead of just sealing the doors. Obvious that it'd be unlocked when there's no power. This place is a bloody joke."

  
Jack, Rose, Gwen and Owen all held their breath until the corridor fell silent again.

  
"Sounds like someone went up against a Weevil." Owen said, peering over the lip of the window.

  
"Well, its keeping them occupied so let's just get moving."

  
XxXxX


	14. Chapter 14

Elizabeth Hartman stood over the Doctor and huffed. She slapped his face, trying to wake him but it had no effect.

  
"I think he's taken all he can, Miss Hartman." Professor Rivers told her.

  
"Fine, lets try some more of those drugs out on him; see if they have any effect."

  
"With all due respect ma'am how will that help you get into his ship?"

  
"It won't." She turned to the scientist with a cold glare. "You see Rivers, he didn't save my sister so I want to make him suffer, whether he's awake or not."

  
"That's not the reason we're here."

  
"No, I am the reason you're here! You will do exactly what I pay you to!"

  
"I really wouldn't do that." A male voice rang from the door way.

  
Elizabeth and the scientist both looked up and saw four figures stood aiming guns at them.

  
"Jack Harkness isn't it?" Elizabeth said.

  
"Normally I'd be flattered that you know me but you see; a woman torturing a friend is a bit of a turn off. Now step away from the Doctor or I will shoot you."

  
"Jack." Rose hissed.

  
"You're going to shoot me?" She smirked.

  
"Don't test me, you only get one warning." Jack told her.

  
"Rivers? The next syringe please."

  
"Don't you dare, Rivers." Owen called, moving the aim of his weapon to the scientist.

  
"Look, killing two people isn't going to make much difference to me, it's not the first time and it wont be the last but it will put a dent is someone's day somewhere and I'm not always a good aim so it might take a while for you to die. So lets all save time shall we?" Jack cocked his gun.

  
Elizabeth laughed and moved to the surgical table, picking up a syringe. "You can't do a thing. I'm the head of this branch. Wage war on me and you'll have the whole of Torchwood at your front door."

  
"Well now that would be a tad more threatening if you actually were the head of Torchwood. You see we're on to your little game. This isn't an official Torchwood. You have no authority here or anywhere." Gwen told her.

  
"You've done your homework."

  
"You clearly haven't. Kidnap the Doctor and leave Rose behind. Very shoddy recon." Jack tutted.

  
"Rose?"

  
"Yeah me." Rose stepped out from her place behind Jack.

  
"You're not meant to be here. You're dead."

  
"Should check your facts more closely. They never found my body."

  
"Well maybe once I'm finished with the Doctor I can rectify the situation. After all now you're here you won't be going anywhere."

  
"Last warning bitch! You take one step towards him and I will shoot you in the fucking head!" Jack shouted.

  
Rose felt herself shaking as her gaze flicked between the woman and the lifeless Doctor. He was covered with a green sheet from the neck down and looked even more pale than normal. She was brought back to the showdown with a loud bang.  
"Stupid bitch." Jack said simply as the woman slumped to the floor.

  
"Jack!" Gwen shouted running to the woman's side.

  
He just looked at her impatiently "What? I gave her two warnings."

  
Gwen raised her eyebrows at his cavalier attitude to having just shot an unarmed woman.

  
"Hey, two warnings was generous!" He then turned his attention to River's. "You. Go. Now. Just leave, don't look back and if you even think about sending anyone up here after us you won't make it to the outside."

  
Rivers nodded and hurried out the door.

  
"She's dead." Gwen stated sadly. "Who was she?"

  
"No time to care right now."

  
"Doctor!" Rose snapped from her shock and rushed to his side, she whipped the cloth from him, tears burning her eyes as she looked him over. "What have they done to you?"

  
"Gwen, get back downstairs to Tosh and get the hell out of here. Don't go via the basement. Use a fire exit the alarms won't be working with the power down. Tosh, is there any chance of bringing this place down?"

  
"I think I can make a power surge strong enough to cause a fire."

  
"Great do it. How's he doing?" Jack called over.

  
The Doctor's head rolled towards Rose. "Three turns. Press." He wheezed, relief spreading through him.

  
"What does that mean?" Owen asked her, tugging on the leather restraints that were holding the Doctor to the table.  
Rose shrugged and looked him over again.

  
"Home." Came the wheeze again.

  
"Either he's doing an impression of E.T or he means the TARDIS." Jack said keeping watch on the corridor as Gwen made her way back to an exit. "And it looks like our little friend didn't keep quiet, we've got company."

  
"Gwen!" Owen hissed.

  
"Other direction. Gwen? Let me know the minute you start the car engine!" He told her through the earpiece before running to the Doctor's side. "Shit! It looks like they did an autopsy."

  
"Not one of mine. My stitching is neater." Owen grunted freeing the last restraint as Rose grabbed anything related to the Doctor from the room and rammed it into the backpack.

  
"Jack?!" Rose froze as shadows surrounded the door frame.

  
"Let's get the Doctor home Rose!" He hoisted the Doctor onto his shoulder as he and Owen aimed their guns at the door.  
Rose took her cue and turned the top of the screwdriver three times and pressed the button. Almost immediately the comforting wheezing of the TARDIS filled the air as it began to materialise around the four of them and bullets ricocheted off the protection shield that surrounded the ship.

  
XxXxX

  
"Owen get in here!" Jack yelled as he laid the Doctor on the medical table. Looking up at the door he growled in frustration as no one appeared. "I'll be right back." He told Rose as he stormed out the room.

  
"Hello you. You're causing trouble again." She whispered in the Doctor's ear, smoothing his hair away from his face.

  
"Yes, it's bigger on the inside, yes it's very pretty but there's plenty of time to deal with that, right now you have a patient that needs attention." Jack said marching a shocked looking Owen through the doors. "Now I'm going to try and get this baby back to Torchwood. Rose, you have my complete permission to slap him if he loses concentration."

  
"Yes sir!" Rose saluted.

  
"And trust me Harper, from what I've heard; if she slaps anything like as hard as her mother, you'll lose most of your teeth!" Jack winked at Rose and headed back to the control room.

  
"Okay, anything I need to know?" Owen asked.

  
"Um, he has two hearts and he can go without oxygen for a while."

  
"Respiratory bypass?"

  
"Yeah. Oh and he's allergic to everything that resembles aspirin."

  
"Excellent." Owen rolled his eyes. "Just sit back, relax and watch an artist work." He grinned at her.

  
She knew he was flirting with her and right now she didn't care, as long as he fixed the Doctor.

  
XxXxX

  
Ianto backed towards the exit as a wheezing sound filled the hub and the air began to whip around him. He watched frozen to the spot as a blue light faded into view then jumped out of his skin as Gwen and Tosh burst into the room, almost tripping over themselves and him.

  
"What is that?" He asked.

  
"That would be Jack and co. He said he'd get here when we did." Gwen told him, panting from her dash down the stairs.

  
"It sounds like an elephant in distress." Toshiko said, staring at the blue box that was solidifying before their eyes.

  
"It sounds like it's about to fall apart." Gwen pointed out as the door flung open.

  
"You coming in or not?" Jack asked poking his head out.

  
The three looked at each other before marching in.

  
"I'm going to check on the Doctor, try not to break anything."

  
XxXxX

  
"How's he doing?" Jack asked striding into the infirmary.

  
"I think he's starting to come round again." Owen said, checking the Doctor's heart rates.

  
"Doctor?" Rose whispered as his eyes began to flicker.

  
He opened his eyes, saw three blurred figures and began to panic. "No, no, no, no." He pushed himself off of the cold hard table, knocking something metal to the ground as he stumbled around. Shaking his head, trying to clear his vision he stretched his arms out in front of him and started to move around the room, panicking more and more.

  
"Doctor, it's okay, it's just us." Rose said moving towards him.

  
"No. Stay away from me. Leave me alone." He found himself trapped in a corner, not able to make out any of his surroundings. Trembling, he slid to the floor in defeat.

  
Rose looked at Jack who nodded at her, taking Owen out of the room.

  
"Doctor?" She felt a lump form in her throat as he covered his head with his hands making himself as small as possible. What had they done to him? He looked so fragile curled up on the floor in nothing but his underwear. Rose grabbed the Doctor's long coat and stepped towards him.

  
"It's okay. You're back on the TARDIS. It's just me." She soothed, wrapping his coat round him as he shook his head.  
He flinched at the contact and Rose decided to take the bull by the horns. She sat facing him forced his face up and kissed him hard.

  
"Rose?"

  
"Hello." She smiled.

  
"I can't see properly it's all blurry. Everything hurts."

  
"Owen's going to fix you up." She pulled him into a hug, feeling his hearts hammering against her and his shoulders began shaking. Moving back she bent to look into his face and saw the tears dropping onto his cheeks. "Hey, what's all this for?" She hushed, tears misting her own eyes.

  
"I can't take much more." He croaked as he furiously wiped the tears from his face.

  
"Oh Doctor." Rose pulled him tightly to her and rocked him for a while before peppering his face with kisses. "It's over now." She took a few deep breaths to force her own tears back at bay. All she really wanted to do was feel him wrap his arms around her and let her cry but right now he needed her.

  
"Rassilion it's cold on this floor." The Doctor said after a while and shuddered.

  
Rose let out a small giggle as she helped him to his feet, supporting him and guiding him back to the medical table.  
"Here, put these on."

  
The Doctor took what she had offered and held it up, squinting at it trying to make out what it was.

  
"They're your trousers." Rose smirked as he nodded. "Give them here." She bent down to the floor and pooled the trouser legs. "Right, step down." Pulling the trousers up his legs Rose began to laugh.

  
"What's so funny?"

  
"I always seem to be dressing you these days. It's enough to give a girl a complex."

  
"Sorry."

  
"Don't say that. It's not your fault. You'll be right as rain soon and you can make it up to me."

  
He knew Rose well enough to know that this was forced cheerfulness he just wished he could make out her expression.

  
She stood and did up his button and zip. "There. Better?"

  
The Doctor nodded mutely as he desperately tried to make out her features, he wanted to see her so badly. Instead he reached out with his fingers and ran them down the side of her face and across her lips before laying his hand to rest on her cheek. Rose pressed a kiss to his palm and laid her own hand over his.

  
"Everything alright in here?" Jack's concerned voice came from somewhere over Rose's shoulder.

  
Rose felt the Doctor tense and begin to tremble again. "It's only Jack. Don't you recognise his voice?"

  
"Too much buzzing going on up here." He tapped a finger to his temple. "There's so much electricity in my system it's blocking signals so you all sound robotic, like when your mobile goes wrong. That's why everything's blurry."

  
"Better get Owen in here." Rose turned to Jack.

  
XxXxX

  
Gwen stood at the end of the main corridor frozen to the spot. She'd walked down the zigzag hallway from the control room following Jack as he rushed to check on the Doctor; passing a few doors as she went but as she stepped through the last archway she couldn't help but gasp. There was gallery after gallery of doors, with large spiral staircases linking one floor to the next and corridors disappearing off at regular intervals. It reminded her of a posh shopping centre with a large dining hall in the middle on the ground floor. But instead of tables there was a small oasis with trees and colourful plants, a fountain and a two-seater bench. The walls and hand rails were in the same material as the control room and they swirled and twirled around the area like a creeping vine.

  
"Impressive huh?" Jack stood beside her.

  
"I've never seen anything like it. But how does it work? I mean it's tiny on the outside but inside it looks like an entire city could take up residence."

  
"Ah well that's where I blind you with science. The TARDIS is transdimensional; the inside is in a completely different dimension to the outside."

  
"So how many rooms are there?"

  
"No idea. Don't think even the Doctor knows. So far I know there's my room, Rose's room, the Doctor's room, a living room, kitchen, at least three bathrooms, a swimming pool, a cricket lawn, a giant wardrobe, oh I found another control room once, the infirmary, there's also an art gallery and a tonne of storage space."

  
"It's beautiful." Gwen breathed.

  
"Yes she is."

  
"Why do men do that? Whether it's a car or a boat or a spaceship, it's always a girl."

  
"Well normally I'd agree with you but the TARDIS is very definitely a girl. And as you say a beautiful girl at that. Specially for her age."

  
"You talk about it as if it's alive."

  
"She is. The Doctor will take great pleasure in telling you how a TARDIS comes to be. But she isn't built, she's grown. And she's over 900 years old."

  
"Right. Okay." She nodded and Jack smiled to himself. It was the first time he's ever been able to show anyone the inside of the TARDIS and he surprised to find he was feeling proud of the ship, like it was his home.

  
"So how's he doing?"

  
"Owen's had to sedate him. He was very confused. He doesn't like resting so his concussion isn't getting any better and the electric shock treatment they gave him hasn't done his already frazzled body any good."

  
"What happened to him before he got here?"

  
"I already told you, he got electrocuted; fell and hit his head."

  
"Electrocuted by what?"

  
"The TARDIS. The control panel short circuited while he was leaning on it."

  
"Ouch." Gwen screwed her face up and flexed her hands.

  
"Yeah you could say that. He's burnt all the way up his arm and one of his shoulders. It's not pretty."

  
"Is he going to be okay?"

  
"Oh he's been through worse. And he hasn't regenerated so I think he's going to be just fine."

  
"Regenerated?"

  
Jack looked at her and smiled, that little bubble of pride and excitement forming in his stomach again. "Time Lords have this thing where if their body is too damaged, you know fatally wounded then they regenerate. They can change every cell of their body to prevent death. He's a lot cuter than when I last saw him. Although he had something then too."

  
"Got a little crush have you, Jack?" Gwen teased.

  
Jack just chuckled. Gwen noticed how much more relaxed he seemed on the TARDIS and found herself wondering if he would stay there rather than return to Torchwood.

  
"On my first day you said you needed the right sort of Doctor. You were talking about him weren't you?"

  
He nodded his gaze turning back to the view in front.

  
"How long did you spend here?"

  
"Not long enough." Jack sighed, his voice betraying him. "This place, these people, they get into your blood. They challenge and change the way you look at things so that you'll never be the same again."

  
"What did they change about you?"

  
"Everything."

  
XxXxX

**Author's Note:**

> This story has sequels too. It became a bit of a monster. I hope you've enjoyed so far and will come back to read more.


End file.
